Kendra didn’t know the boy, but he was in one or two of Kendra’s classes. He was a medium-brow haired boy named Drew, and he was not the muscled jock type, nor the skinny nerd type, but a happy medium. He grabbed her clothes and backpack, wrapped her up in a towel, carried her behind the bleachers and set her down.
“You’re Drew, from my biology class right?” Drew nodded. “How did you know that my tail would turn into legs when it dried off?” Kendra asked him.
“Well Kendra, I’ve seen ‘Splash’ a couple dozen times.” Drew answered. “I just kind of guessed.”
“‘Splash’?” Kendra asked.
“Tom Hanks movie, Darryl Hannah plays a mermaid? Her tail becomes legs when she’s dry.” He replied.
“Actually, I’m more familiar with ‘Aquamarine’, myself; but it’s just about the same.”
“Been meaning to see that.” Drew said. “I’ve always been fascinated by mermaids and mermaid stories. I just never thought that I’ve been going to school with one for years. Are your parents merpeople, too?”
“I don’t know.” Kendra replied. “I’ve only been this way since my 18th birthday. I have to change once a day, or else my body is forced to change. I forgot to change in private this morning; hence, why I risked exposure here. I haven’t even told my parents yet. I just don’t know how to tell them.” Kendra grabbed her clothes. “My legs are back. Uh, you mind?” Kendra said to Drew.
“Oh, yeah.” Drew turned around with a blush. “I guess I had enough of a peek at the pool.”
As Kendra put her clothes back on, she asked Drew, “You won’t tell a soul what you saw here, right?”
“You have my word.” Drew answered. “Like I said, I watch a lot of mermaid shows and I know the big trouble starts when someone blows the secret. Still, if you really want to tell your parents, maybe we could figure something out at my place.”
“What about your parents?” Kendra asked.
“My parents are out of town this weekend and they said I could have just one person over. No parties, though. We have a pool and a hot tub in the backyard you could let your inner Ariel out in.”
“Backyard?” Kendra said worriedly. “What if somebody sees me?”
“We live on Oak Ridge Drive; the houses are spaced far enough apart that I doubt they could see well, besides, if anyone asks, we’ll tell them it’s a costume.”
Kendra thought a moment. “Okay, I’ll tell my parents that I’m going to a friend’s house for the weekend.” Kendra and Drew saw the clock on the wall said 11:58.
“Swim class is almost here, let’s go.”
As the two got up to leave, Kendra turned to Drew and said; “Oh, by the way; try anything funny with me, and I’ll drown you!”
“Point taken.”