Sink Or Swim

Lynne Lo

ONE DAY BEFORE

"So what?" I asked again. "WHAT?"

"It'll be fine," Willow reassured. "One night at Coco's house will be a blast!"

"Yeah, but I don't want- I just want- This is just so- Please-" I stuttered like a fool.

Willow's mom only allowed me to stay for one night, so now I would have to stay at Coco's house. Coco was Willow's best friend, and Willow said that everything was set up and it would be fine.

"C'mon! I'll settle you in," Willow circled around me. My orange tail slumped around, hesitating.

I was nervous. I read the entire guide, but I could still make a fool out of myself. Coco would hate me, and I'll get another bully. In fact, what if I messed up so badly that Coco tells Willow and she decided not to be my friend? What if I'm different somehow, and they notice?

Hm. But where else would I go? I've done riskier things like when I sang Gangnam Style for my cousins birthday party. Trust me, I would of never done it if I weren't so desperate for money (my mom paid me 100).

"Uh, Lynne?" Willow called. "Come on, sea snail!"

"Yeah. Sea snail. Right." I picked up my pace.

Once we made it to the swanky grove house, Willow knocked loudly and screamed, "CP! Pebbler, open the door!"

Coco came to the door and smiled. "Hey. Come in, I have something to show you.."

I smiled the best I could. Then I swam in the green house.

Right away, the inside resembled a castle, with stone, some seaweed, and glass. We went upstairs and into a blue-themed room.

"Well, Willow you already know, but this is my room!" Coco exclaimed proudly. She waved her arms about and batted her eyelashes. Coco had a very bright personality and voice. She was very tall, so she would of towered over me is we stood back to back. Coco herself was very estatic and fun, always willing to go to extreme measures to get what she wants. Coco was daring, and I wasn't.

"Yeah," Willow said. "Small, but nice."

"Okay." I mumbled but I don't think anyone heard me.

"It's only 3 o'clock, let's go do something!" Coco cheered. "Oh, and Lynne you put your bag on my bed."

I put my stuff on the bed.

Willow took this time to speak. "How about Seabucks?" She suggested eagerly.

Coco gasped in delight. "Seabucks!?" She swam in tight circles. "I'll ask my mom." She dashed out of the room, leaving Willow and I.

"Yeah, she's pretty weird." Willow agreed to my thoughts. "But she's a great friend."

Coco "Pebbler" Pebbles returned with a squeal. "We can go!"

"Yay," I muttered. I had never had Starbucks in my life and I was planning to do that on my birthday but here we are. I'm about to go to an

We exit the house with a little money. We make it there, tired but enthusiastic.

Seabucks was apparently just like Starbucks, according to Coco.

Seabucks looked like a regular Starbucks in the inside and outside, but the logo was different. The logo was instead a shell with scattered patterns of waves and sand in the background, with the original shade of green from Starbucks. We sat down and planned the money and what we're getting. The best part was the actual stuff from Starbucks was here too, because the owner of the place was originally working in Starbucks.

Apparently the drinks won't float everywhere in the water. It must be some mermaid magic.

Coco is getting something I can't pronounce, and Willow and I are getting a s'mores frappe.

"So I had this idea..." Coco started. She stopped for a dramatic effect.

"Yeah?" Willow said, cueing for Coco to continue with her statement.

"We have to test if Kalissa is really royal or not." Coco smiled. Her eyes looked deeply into mine. I shrugged away from her gaze.

"Coco, are you sugar high? That girl Kalissa can't be a princess." Willow said.

"Think about it.. It could be possible. Her last name is Heart... Did you hear me!? Her last name is Heart!" Coco said with a bit of hopelessness in her tone. 

"I heard you Coco.. But that is not enough to go by! An unusual last name is barely enough proof to report to the royal family." Willow rolled her eyes and laughed. Her voice rang through the room, full with energy. With this, I could tell that Willow herself was more sugar high.

"So? We could at least try..." Coco pleaded.

"Sure, why not?" I cut in before Willow could respond.

Coco widened her eyes. "Really? Ha, Willow."

Willow sarcastically laughed. "Very funny Coco. What's your little plan?"

"Soooo... when you Collect her, we do something that tests her bond." Coco said.

"What bond?" Willow's eyes turned green.

"The natural loving bond that royalty have for her people," Coco said as if it's obvious. Should I know this too?

"Okay, so at the shore of the morning, Daphne will-" Coco began.

"Wait. Daphne has to be involved?" Willow groaned.

"Yes. So she will go back here, and wait for a few minutes. Then she will go to the surface, screaming that Lynne is in major trouble. Then Daphne will "pass out". You, Willow, will say that you can't have a tail from something, and that Kalissa is the only one that could save her." Coco explained.

"And this will prove..." Willow said skeptically.

"If she goes into the water, with little or no hesitation, even with other people staring, she's a princess. If not, uh oh," Coco joked.

"What happens if she goes in the water and finds out nothing is wrong? And what if that plan is a fraud, and she goes in through the goodness of her regular, human heart?" I burst.

"Well, I-" Coco blushed. "I didn't-"

"I did not mean to embarrass you, but I'm just worried if we fail or Kalissa will hate your guts." I apologized quickly. I looked at my tail and hoped that Coco wouldn't do anything to me.

"Well, we'll figure something out." Willow agreed. 

;)

A nice long chapter for you guys~~

-The Pie Team

edited on 11/21/15