A Mermaid's Kiss

by Katie Holland

  Bodie and I popped up and took the stance we used on a wave. I don’t think I’d ever done that when I didn’t have a wave under me. I actually lost my balance and fell into the water. I came back up to laughter.

  “Dude,” Bodie said, “what the hell? I don’t think you’ve fallen since we were kids.”

  “Usually, when I do that I’m on a wave and have the momentum to help me. This is my first lesson remember, dickwad.” I got back on my board. I saw Kayleigh had a smile on her face too, but to her credit, she wasn’t laughing. “Maybe we should try paddling in on a wave first,” I said.

  We waited until the next wave came and paddled in toward the shore. We went back out and did it again.

  “I want to try standing on it,” Karma said.

  “Me too,” Kayleigh agreed.

  So we paddled out and they both tried to get on the board. Both of them fell into the water, but came up smiling. They each tried a few more times until they had their feet under them. The smile on Kayleigh’s face was contagious, and I felt myself smiling back at her, and it had nothing to do with thoughts of getting her naked. She was proud of herself and I liked that I help put that smile there.

  Chapter 9

  Kayleigh

  I wasn’t sure I was ever going to get up on the board, but when I finally did, I felt like I was on top of the world. It was an amazing feeling. I did it a few more times to really get the feel of it. Once Karma and I had that down, the boys called it a day. We paddled back in and got out of the water.

  True to his word, Major had stopped being a dick. He actually might be fun to hang out with if he acted like this all the time, but I knew that was going to be too much to ask.

  “Thank you,” I told him, when we were drying off. “That was a lot of fun.”

  “You’re welcome,” Major said.

  “Is it too much to ask for another lesson?”

  “I think that can be arranged. Same time next week?”

  “Sounds good. Karma?”

  She nodded in agreement. We gathered our stuff and carried the boards back to Major’s truck. It was a great big white thing that would have been right at home in Oklahoma.

  “Nice truck,” I told him.

  “Thanks, she’s my baby.”

  Guys and their trucks. My ex had been the same.

  “How about we take you ladies out for dinner for being such good students,” he said.

  I noticed that Bodie gave him a strange look, but wasn’t sure what to make of it. I was about to turn him down when Karma answered for us.

  “We’d love to,” she said, giving me the look that said not to argue.

  “None of us are exactly dressed to go out,” I said gesturing to our swim attire.

  “We don’t need to be dressed up for what I have in mind. Are you game?” Major said, as a challenge.

  I might be on the shy side, but I almost never backed down from a challenge so of course, I agreed.

  “Then get in the truck,” he said. “We’ll bring you back to your car. It’s not far from here.”

  Without a second of hesitation, Karma was getting into the backseat of his truck. I went around to the other side and got in as well. Major started the engine, and we drove on the road that ran parallel to the beach.

  About five minutes later, we pulled into another parking lot. It turned out that we weren’t going to a restaurant at all, we were at a food truck.

  “I hope you ladies like fish because these guys serve the best fish tacos in the area,” Major said, as we stopped beside the taco truck.

  “I happen to love fish tacos,” I told him. And I really did. I didn’t eat unhealthy very often and when we did go out, I always checked the menu for fish tacos.

  We hopped out of the truck and had a look at the menu. I laughed when I saw it. There were only two things on it; fish tacos or spicy fish tacos. I got one of each.

  We didn’t have to wait long for our orders. I took my first bite and was in love.

  “Is this truck always here?” I asked.

  “It is on the weekends,” Bodie answered. “During the week it travels to different places.”

  “Like them?” Major asked me.

  “I think I’m in love,” I said and smiled. I took my time eating the rest of my food, wanting to savor the taste. I had no idea what they did to make them so good but they were definitely the best fish tacos I’d ever had.

  We finished eating and the boys took us back to Karma’s car.

  “I guess I’ll see you around,” Major said, as I got out.

  “Yeah, I guess,” I said back, and watched them drive away. I got in the car and Karma was staring at me.

  “What?”

  “You know what,” she said smirking.

  “No, I don’t.” And I actually didn’t.

  “You like him.”

  “No, I’m tolerating him when he’s not being a dick that is.”

  “Whatever,” she said, still smirking at me. “So how hot is Bodie? If I was wearing panties, they would have burst into flames.”

  I snorted out a laugh. I should have expected it, but she still caught me off guard. “All four of them are hot, there’s no denying that. And Bodie seems like less of an asshole than Major does.”

  “I think next time I see him I’m going to try to get into his pants,” Karma said grinning.

  “Just don’t ruin our surfing lessons. I had fun today and I really want to ride a wave.”

  “I won’t. I had fun too.” Karma started the car and drove us back to campus. We spent the rest of the night watching movies and went to bed fairly early. We had practice at 6 am the next morning, and our first college class at 9:00. It was going to be a busy day.

  * * *

  Most people probably thought I was crazy, but I loved early morning practices. The smell of the pool invigorated me. By the time it was over I was feeling great. We found out our first swim meet was in three weeks and then there was one every second or third Saturday until the end of the year.

  Karma and I showered at the pool and went back to our dorm to finish getting ready. Luckily, it only took about five minutes to get to and from the pool. I brushed my hair and put it in a ponytail. I never bothered with makeup unless we were going out. I put on some yoga pants, a t-shirt, and flip-flops and considered myself ready for the day.

  I knew Karma would take longer, so that meant it was my turn to make smoothies. Protein smoothies were a staple in our life. They were quick, easy, and kept us fueled with healthy things.

  Karma came out of her room looking ready to take on the world. She was wearing a cute dress that accentuated her small waist with a wide belt. Black ballet flats and big hoop earrings completed the outfit.

  “You know we’re only going to class right?” I said to her, as she grabbed her smoothie.

  “I never know when I’ll meet Mr. Right so I have to look good,” she said, winking at me.

  “You always look good Karma. And besides, if he really is Mr. Right he’ll love you no matter what you’re wearing,” I said, laughing at her.

  She grinned at me. We finished our smoothies and hurried to get to our first official college class. We had English together. I’d never really been a fan of English classes. There was way too much analyzing of things for my taste. I read a book to enjoy it not to wonder what the author was thinking.

  I was glad we got there a few minutes early. I hated sitting at the front of any class and was happy there were seats at the back. We sat down and I got my laptop out and ready. I had no idea what to expect. I was generally a good student, but I knew I had to keep my grades up if I wanted to continue being on the swim team.

  “Are you stalking me?”

  I turned my head to find Major sitting beside me. “Since I was here first, I could ask you the same thing.”

  He smiled at me. “No Kayleigh, I’m not stalking you but I might just have to start.”

  I tried to think of a good come back, but he flashed a grin at me an
d I was left speechless. Luckily for me, the professor walked in and started class.

  He gave us instructions on where and how to login to his course notes on the school’s system. There was an overview of what we would be doing that semester and then we were dismissed. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but that wasn’t it.

  As I packed up my laptop, I noticed Major looking at me.

  “What?” I asked.

  “You look disappointed or something.”

  “I guess I wasn’t expecting to come here for only a few minutes.”

  “I take it you don’t have any older brothers or sisters that went to college,” he said.

  “Nope, I’m an only child.”

  He grinned at me. “That explains why you’re so stuck up all the time.”

  I heard Karma let out a laugh beside me. I wanted to be mad at him, but the look on his face made it almost impossible.

  “Yep, I guess that’s right,” I said. “And what does having siblings have to do with this short class?”

  “I have a cousin that started college last year. I remember him saying that the first day of class you get your syllabus and class info and then the class is pretty much done for the day.”

  “Huh. Well, thanks for the info I guess.”

  I followed Karma out of the room. I noticed that Major was right behind me. “Please tell me that you don’t have Algebra at 11:00,” I said to him, when we walked out of the building.

  He grinned. “Nope, but now I was wishing I did. See you around,” he said, and walked away.

  “I just can’t figure him out,” I said to Karma, as I watched him walk away.

  “Maybe he’s not as big of an asshole as you think he is. I mean, he did agree to help us learn to surf.”

  “Maybe,” I said reluctantly. I wasn’t normally one to judge people so quickly, but I had him pegged as a dick from the moment I met him. Could I be wrong about that?

  “I don’t have class now until 11:00,” I said to Karma. I guess I’ll go back to our room and hang out until then.”

  “Okay,” she said, “I’ll see you later.”

  “Be good,” I told her. She just laughed at me and walked to find her next class.

  After my second class of the day, I went to one of the cafeterias on campus. I found a place to eat and pulled out my eReader. I’d only turned two pages when someone got my attention.

  “May I join you?” It was Wes.

  “Sure.” I kind of wanted to be alone, but I didn’t want to sound rude.

  “You were great at practice the other day,” Wes said to me.

  “Uh, thanks.”

  “How long have you been swimming?”

  “Since I was three.”

  “Wow. That’s a pretty early start. I didn’t take my first lesson until I was six. Mom told me it took her forever to convince me to get in the water, but once I did I loved it.”

  “That’s great.”

  I wasn’t very good at small talk with strangers, which was why I didn’t talk to people. But it turned out that I didn’t need to be in this case. Wes talked almost nonstop for thirty minutes. I added a few comments here and there, but nothing that amounted to very much. He was from Dallas, his parents were divorced, and he had a younger brother and sister. His brother swam like him, but his sister preferred gymnastics. He’d had a few girlfriends in high school but was now single. His best friend was taking engineering at a school in Texas. There was more random stuff that I don’t remember now.

  “Sorry if I’ve been talking your ear off. I do that when I’m nervous.”

  That got my attention. “Why are you nervous?”

  “I always get nervous when I talk to a hot girl for the first time.”

  I snorted out a laugh but stopped when I saw the look on his face. “Oh wait, you’re serious.” He nodded and I didn’t know what to say. “Oh … um … thanks?”

  That had him smiling again. “You don’t seem very used to getting compliments,” he said.

  “I guess I’m not, I never know what to say.”

  “But, I’m sure people tell you all the time how good of a swimmer you are.”

  “Yes they do,” I said.

  “Those are compliments.”

  “But that’s different. I did something to earn that. I didn’t do anything to earn being called hot,” I said, and wasn’t fishing for another compliment. I dressed this way to blend into the crowd, not stand out in it. The only place I wanted to stand out was at the pool.

  Wes just shook his head. “I have to get to class. I’ll see you at practice, Kayleigh.”

  Chapter 10

  Major

  The day was looking up. Having my first class on a Monday at 9 am sucked, but it was so much better when I saw Kayleigh sitting there. Getting her all worked up was going to be my reason for coming to class. I hated English, but I needed it to get my business degree. Now that I knew she was in the same class, maybe I could enlist her help. She seemed like a smart girl.

  I went to my next class and then met up with Bodie for lunch. I didn’t plan on eating at any of the cafeterias if I could help it. We went to a coffee shop and ordered sandwiches. He was telling me about this hot chick that was in one of his classes. I’d been so focused on Kayleigh, that I didn’t even notice any other girls in the room. I was going to lose the bet if I kept that up. I vowed that in my next class, I was going to find a chick I thought I could score with.

  When I walked into my next class, I was sure that the universe had a sense of humor. Kayleigh was sitting at one of the computer stations near the back of the room. There was an open spot next to her, I knew I should sit somewhere else, but I couldn’t seem to resist her and found myself sitting down beside her.

  “I think I’ve got this stalking thing down,” I said, pulling out the chair. I couldn’t decipher the look she was giving me. Then I did something I rarely did, I second-guessed a decision. “Is it okay if I sit here?”

  She nodded slightly as if she wasn’t really sure if she was okay with it or not. I stayed sitting and waited for her to tell me to leave. After a minute, she never said anything and I relaxed a little. I wasn’t used to the feeling of not being a hundred percent confident. Before I had time to really think about how I was feeling, the professor started class.

  “Welcome to Computer Science 101,” she said.

  I stopped listening after that. I was great with computers and knew this was going to be an easy class. I wanted to take a harder one, but the University made me take the entry level one first. We got the typical first-day stuff and were dismissed.

  I glanced at Kayleigh, she looked a little panicked.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  She nodded but I wasn’t convinced.

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “Fine,” she said. “I’m not looking forward to this class. I have no idea if I can do these things. I’m not even sure what coding means. And, I can’t get a bad grade or I’ll be off the swim team. If I’m off the swim team, then I lose my scholarship and can’t go to school anymore.”

  I took in what she’d just told me. It was the most real information I’d gotten out of her. I could tell this was a real worry for her.

  “Well, as it turns out, I happen to be excellent in this department. I’ll make you a deal; I’ll help you in this class if you help me in English?”

  She hesitated for a minute. I could tell she was debating with herself.

  “I promise not to be an asshole,” I added with a smile.

  That made her smile. “Okay deal, but just so you know, I’m not like an English genius or something.”

  “Do you think you can pass it?” I asked. She nodded. “That’s all I need then. See you around.”

  I got up and left the room. I shouldn’t have been so happy about helping her but I was. I decided I was going to keep this to myself. I knew the guys would give me shit about it.

  Chapter 11

  Kayleigh

  What h
ad I just agreed to? Getting Major’s help meant spending more time with him. I was trying to spend less time around him, wasn’t I?

  On the way back to the dorm I called Nana. I wanted to tell her everything that had happened since I’d talked to her last. She and Karma were my rocks. Without them, I know I wouldn’t have survived until this point in my life.

  Karma was there when I walked in.

  “Hey,” I said dropping my bag. “Meet any cute guys today?”

  The smile she was giving me told me everything I needed to know. “What’s his name?”

  “Travis and he’s totally hot. He’s taking me out tonight after practice.”

  “That’s great. I had kind of a weird experience at lunch,” I said, and told her about Wes.

  “I think he was trying to ask you out,” Karma told me.

  “Really?”

  “Yep, and he’s kinda cute. Would you consider it?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. Dating isn’t really my thing. You know I’ve only had one boyfriend ever. I don’t know how to date. And besides, do you think it’s a good idea to date someone from the swim team?”

  “You’re probably right about that. If it didn’t work out it would be really awkward.”

  “Okay, then it’s settled, no dating Wes or anyone else on the swim team. That goes for you too, Karma.”

  “Agreed, no dating anyone on the swim team.”

  I looked at her.

  “Fine, or the dive team. Happy now?”

  “Yep. So where is Travis taking you?” I asked. I knew that would be enough to change the subject.

  * * *

  After we were finished practice I was wiped. I was waiting for Karma to get ready for her date. She wanted my opinion before she met him outside. When she came out of her room she looked gorgeous.

  “Good choice,” I told her. “It’s somewhere between girl next door and slut.”

  She threw a pillow at me and I started laughing.

  “Stop it,” she said.

  “You look hot, Karma. You’ll have him eating out of your hand.”

  “Thank you. What are you going to do tonight?”