Mermaid Roll

Wishing to be normal.

Dreadful about what he would think if he knew why I couldn't be.

I wondered why he didn't like going to the beach.

I gulped with nervousness when he ate the first few pieces of sushi off his plate.

He probably wouldn't like it if I kept lying to him.

This was important though.

Knowing might scare him.

We always knew each other from my grandmother's bakery.

Being too close to the oven might make me shrivel up.

He knew everything about me, but he was too scared to let the unknown in.

My heart raised when the cold and wet drops of rain appeared hitting the hard ground.

I stood at the entrance of my school and was frightened when the memory of my cousin taking my umbrella from me this morning came to thought.

I sat in the corner of the entrance with my knees pushed up to my chest.

I let the cold brisk of chilly wind hit the sides of my legs.

It felt like the moment the current would shift and a brief rush of cold water would rush past my fins.

Korain popped up in front of me like he knew where I was hiding.

He always knew.

He pulled his overly sized sweater over me and I grabbed his umbrella as he passed it over.

Before I knew it, I was swept away in his arms and I shook in fear as he ran to the nearest convince store for shelter.

I was so terrified he would find out my secret.

What if he found out?

I shifted the sweater past my feet and pulled my head into the top like a turtle taking cover.

Bombs away the rain hit the sweater and with it exploded my anxiety.

If only we could walk side by side as the rain hit the top of our clear umbrella.