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His eyes narrowed "The bastard"

"It’s not like that I mean, it’s complicated"

"Why? Because you’re a little different?"

"I’m more than a little different" I took a deep breath and then blurted, "I’ deal"

He didn’t answer for a long ti tone he got when he was attes out "So I’m not crazy That really was your tail"

"Yep It really was" I studied hi completely human For once he was hard to read, but it looked like he was taking it better than I’d ever iined

Finally, I just asked him "Does it bother you?"

"What? Your tail?"

"Yes! No, I mean, not just the tail The fact that I’m mermaid That I’m not like you and I never will be"

"I don’t know"

"Mark"

"I’m serious I really don’t think so It doesn’t feel like it bothers me, but then I wonder, shouldn’t it? Maybe I’ so"

"What do you mean?"

"You think I didn’t notice how cold you alere, except in the water? How you never needed a wet suit? I was out there the day you nearly drowned, Tes just collapse beneath you Shit, I even saw you turn purple It’s hard to ignore the whole glowing thing Or the mystical tattoos that just showed up on your back, no redness, no irritation, nothing"

"You didn’t--" My voice failed and I had to start again "You didn’t care?"

"The only thing I ever cared about was you I kept trying to get you to talk to ave you thatit would say what I couldn’t But you practically threw it back inover ht words so hard to find? "It was supposed to be a secret"

"And you didn’t trust h to keep it?" He looked incredulous "We’ve been best friends forever, Te"

"I know, I know It’s just … I could barely handle as happening to me, and I’d always known about mermaids How could I expect you to handle it too?"

"You could have at least given me a chance"

"Maybe I would have if you hadn’t dumped me for a cheerleader"

"Really? I dumped you? You’re the one who came to me that day at my house"

"Do you not re between you"

"I did that for you"

I laughed incredulously "Yeah, right Because what girl doesn’t want to lose her boyfriend to the captain of the cheer squad?"

"You were already gone! You think I didn’t know there was someone else? You think I didn’t know that you didn’t loveface Whatever you want to call it I knew you felt too guilty to end things, so I helped you do it"

The shock of his words reverberated throughtoo close to my ears "You’re not still with her?" The words fell out ofto say them