Why Would I Fall for You

Something In Common

"The end of the jewelry contest is in five days, people! Look alive!" Mr. Wriedt informed the class, getting a mix of reactions. "Now, I know quite a few of you are already done, so I've prepared a little something for those who feel ready." He got out a sheaf of papers and started handing them out. "We're doing a scavenger hunt today!" 

Gale accepted the piece of paper, scanning the paragraph. A cheesy yet poetic paragraph alluded to the locations of clues to further their search. 

"What are we looking for?" A student asked. 

"Excellent question!" Mr. Wriedt finished handing out sheets and laced his fingers. "You're looking for... a surprise!" 

The class mumbled disapprovingly a little, looking unamused. 

"Well if you don't want to, I can assign another essay."

The class erupted into a chorus of no's and this is fine's. 

"Alright, I'll set you up into pairs." He tapped his chin. "Nola and Nicole, Shanelle and Berrie, hmm... Gale and Nixie..."

Gale blanched, not knowing what to say or do. She hated group work; her partners refused to say a word to her the majority of the time. She turned awkwardly and caught Nixie's eye, who half smiled and waved. Gale swallowed hard and stood up, stumbling a little against her chair. 

Come on. Don't mess this up. 

"Hey." Gale said, trying to appear nonchalant. "Do you want to start in the library? You know, the way the clue talks about the shelves and all."

"Sure!" Nixie forced brightness into her voice, realizing she hadn't exactly had an interaction with Gale before that was friendly. 

The two set off through the halls, not saying much. Nixie twirled a pink strand of hair around her fingers, floundering for something to say.

"The cake you made was pretty good." She said.

Gale looked up, surprised. "You tried it?" 

"Yeah." Nixie smiled a bit. "Felice really liked it, at the least. He had two pieces." 

The two arrived at the library, slowing down a bit.

"Thanks." Gale said gruffly, a genuine smile appearing on her lips. Damn it, why did that feel so good to hear? 

Nixie smiled back, realizing that she'd not once before seen a real smile on Gale. It looked good on her, brightening up all the rough, withdrawn parts of her face the same way a ship's lantern cast a golden glow on ship planks. 

"I actually learned to cook from the sailors on my dad's ship." Gale said, her voice breaking a little. 

"Yeah?" Nixie encouraged, taking a seat at one of the library tables. 

"One of our longtime crewmates, Kaarlo, was the one that taught me to make little sweets and cakes for the other sailors. A little sugar goes a long way on a boat."

"I bet." Nixie put her chin in her hands, thinking. "You know, I'm no stranger to life on the sea myself. When I'm not at Shadow High, I live on a houseboat."

"Really?" Gale seemed vaguely impressed. "I thought you just did the mermaid thing and that was it."

"Nah, I've always been one with the water. Honestly, the periods that I come to school are a little draining just because we only have the one lake nearby. I miss the ocean."

Gale nodded. "I get it. I mean, not all of my memories at sea are good ones, but it's home." She looked at her hands. "I haven't been back to Finland in a while now." 

"Do you want to go back?" Nixie asked.

Gale hesitated, but she shook her head firmly. "Not really. Not now. I- I have family here." 

She coughed awkwardly, wanting to change the subject.

"Um. Nixie?" 

"Yes?"

"I- um. I want to apologize."

"Apologize?" Nixie repeated, a little dumbfounded. 

"Yeah." Gale tucked a lock of hair behind her ears. "I've been a dumbass. More than a dumbass, actually. I honestly still don't really know what I'm supposed to do, or how I'm supposed to act, but I know I could be better." She looked down again. "That's why I'm here, right?"

Nixie swallowed. "You have been pretty hurtful, Gale."

Gale visibly slumped, nodding in understanding.

"It's not just an easy fix. But I'm willing to give you a chance." Nixie smiled again, trying so hard to trust herself and Felice's judgement.

Gale looked up, surprised. 

"Everyone has a little good deep inside of them. I know it's somewhere inside of you." 

Nixie and Gale stared at each other, and instantly burst into laughter. 

"Okay, that was a LITTLE too sappy." Gale snorted, burying her face in her hands. 

"Fine, maybe I've been reading too many musical scripts with dramatic redemption arcs." Nixie giggled. "Downsides of being a theater kid."

"Hey, random question." Gale interjected.

"Yeah?"

"Want to go kayaking or something at the lake tomorrow? It's Saturday and all, and it could be fun to be in the water again." 

"Sure, my afternoon is free." Nixie agreed, surprising herself.

"Okay." Gale beamed, feeling happier than she'd been in a long time.