Bella:
Ronan, Amelia and I are meeting up today. I wonder if it'll feel the same as it did a year ago. The three of us hanging out going on late night walks half drunk.
Ooo this one time Amelia threw up all over, she was so drunk. Drinking outside in the middle of the woods late at night use to be our thing. The three of us every summer at least once a week living it up.
[I'm on a phone with Amelia]
A - " Make sure to bring blankets lots of blankets and lots of bug spray. I'm bringing snacks and lighter fluid. Do your parents know you're going out?"
A small pause happened. We both start laughing. This is my way of joking and she knows it.
B- " my parents.. ha they haven't noticed I even left, they never do."
A- " I know just a little of banter"
B-" Hey I'm almost there, have you left your house yet?"
A-" yeah I'll be there in about 10 minutes"
B- " okay see you then"
[Beep Beep] my phone is going off it's Ronan.
R " Hey I'm here"
B " so am I, where are you-"
B- "AGHH" Ronan jumps out from behind one of the bushes.
A- " you're not funny" I say rolling my eyes. " did you bring the tents?"
R- "Tent, I found the other one in our backyard it was torn apart down the middle though. So we just have one."
B- " And that's gonna fit all of us?"
He looks down for a moment and realizes that it will not in fact fit three of us.
R- " I have my truck the bed end I'll just sleep on it with my sleeping bag. You and Amelia can stay in my truck with the sets reclined so you can lay down"
B- " What if it rains or gets too cold then what?
Ronan you're going to get eaten alive my bugs"
R- " Bella look at me, I'll be fine"
He smiles and laughs a bit.
R-" How are you feeling, only if you want to talk about it if not that's completely ok. Actually never mind I really shouldn't have said anything, sorry Bella."
I look down at the ground so he doesn't see my eyes because they're glossy. I'm on the verge of tears and the last thing I want to do is make him feel bad for asking.
There's so much I want to say about it but he already knows. Not only what happened a few days ago. He knows about the cat calling, the creepy old men, that one time a man on our way to school said " nice body" to me. He knows all of it.
He's been there for me yelling at all the them. This time it was bad really bad, someone my brother has hang around for a long time someone my brother trusted.
Bella-" I guess I'm use to it."
Ronan-" you shouldn't have to be Bella people like him belong in prison.. Bella if you ever want to talk about anything just let me know ok?"
Bella-" okay" I say quietly.
Amelia- " Omg it's gonna be just like old times!"
Amelia hugs us both by our shoulders.
Amelia-"I'm so excited and look what I boughttttt"
She holds out a bag full of snacks and alcohol.
3 hours later.
Ronan:
I didn't drink for one I'm not much of a drinker and two I don't want to drive home tomorrow morning with a hangover. However I did eat way to much gummy bears, so they are drunk and I'm in a sugar induced coma.
I make sure they both stay inside my trunk until they fall asleep. I guess I'm paranoid like that. I stay up most of the night then eventually have a sugar crash.
7:30am
I wake up to the smell of rain. I look down at myself, my whole sleeping bag is wet and it seeped through to the inside of my sleeping bag too.
Is misty outside like the feeling of wet grass and I hear crickets in the distance. It's quite the girls are probably still sleeping.
I look into the little window. Yup still sleeping. I don't want to wake them up but I'm covered in rain. I'll wait it out for another hour.
8:30am
I lightly tap onto to window drivers door so I don't scare them. Amelia's in the passenger seat and Bellas in the drivers set, they both have the seats all the way back from sleeping in them.
Bella:
Amelia-"Bella" she taps my shoulder. " Ronan needs to get in the truck you have to get out."
I'm half asleep and my vision is blurry then it's clear,
Bella-" I'm alive" that's when I look over at Ronan he's soaked in water, no no this can't be happening.
He wants to come into the truck that means I have to get out. I don't even know for sure if it's still lightly raining and I just can't see it. I hold my breath and look for any body's of water. None.
I put my hood up both hands in my pockets and unlock the door from the inside.
Ronan-" okay I'll drop you two o-"
I push him out of the way from the inside with the car door and make sure my hands and the rest of my body are cover before I open the backseat. Then I get into the truck. I count back to ten, nothing.
I got lucky.. this could have gone bad. I haven't told anybody that I'm a mermaid. It's my secret, no one can know. If someone found out I don't know what would happen.
I'd probably end up being a freak and everyone would be scared of me they would probably would think I'm some type of monster. Or worse if the wrong person found out they could harm me or worse.
I'm looking out of the window dozing off. Thinking of all these thoughts. Sometimes.. I wish I never fell into the cave and that my parents were watching me. It's made my life so complicating. I guess it's not all bad though being a mermaid has it's perks.
[Flashback]
The first week of being a mermaid was so scary. All the other kids in my class got to go out and play in the rain and snow. I didn't I stayed in. I got bullied for this people called me things like " weirdo" others said " you have no friends and you never will" I was nine.
I wrote in one of those secret journals where you have to say something for it to open and it came with a pen that you could only see with the flashlight at the top of the pen.
Bella Hartley journal entry.
[24 hourz of being a mermoid]
Bella-" Tosdy I could not go out slid becoue of the wet rain. All I wanot to do is go back to play with my friearnds but they will see my taeil.. I have powlers now too. I donut think anone in my grade has this ." :(
47 hourz
I steiil have the taeil it's not gone. I think teacers donant like me Insad they said go outside. Im sad.
At lunch time
No one wants to sit with me that's when I look up a boy in the same class as me I recognize him. He sits in the back of the classroom. His name is "Ronan". He sits down next to me
Ronan-" hi I'm Ronan"
Bella-" Bella" I say.
[Present day]
Ronan-"Bella" this is your stop."
I was dozing off so much I didn't even know that Amelia got off at her house.
Bella-" Thank you for everything it was fun"
Ronan- " We should hang out again sometime soon"
Bella-" Yeah I'll have to see when me and Amelia and you.. all of us are free.
Bella-" bye"
I shut the car door and go inside my house.