Secrets of the Deep [Wattpad Featured Story]

Chapter Nineteen

"What do you want with me, Hansen?" I asked, resorting to her last name in the hopes that it would make me sound tougher.

Madeleine smiled smugly. "You know why."

I narrowed my eyes. "Humor me."

When she realized I wasn't going to budge, she rolled her lips into her mouth, frustrated. "Fine," she spat, "if you're too stupid to figure it out for yourself."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"It's because you think you can waltz in here and take whatever you want."

I had guessed as much. "Madeleine," I sighed, "I've been here for less than a month. What have I taken from you? When have I ever given you a reason to hate me?"

"You've given me plenty," she retorted, her smile morphing into a glare. She advanced a few steps, but I stood my ground, even though every nerve in my body was screaming at me to make a run for it. "You took my dad from me," she continued. "You took the swim team from me. You took the spotlight from me!"

Now I really couldn't help but laugh. "Attention? What are we, in kindergarten?"

Madeleine's glare deepened, and she took a massive step forward. We were only a few feet away, and I was seriously scared by now. Why did I have to sass the school's biggest bully? It was like hammering the nails into my own coffin.

"I think it's time I taught you a lesson," she said, clenching her fists.

My eyes darted from side to side, but there was no one within sight. It was too late to back down now.

"You'll be sorry you ever crossed paths with me," she threatened.

I was petrified. What had I been thinking? I couldn't take the Mad Hansen by myself. This wasn't who I was.

Suddenly, a thought came to me. I was more than a newbie. I was even more than a swimmer. I was a freaking mermaid!

"You're wrong," I said with a smile. "You should be sorry that you ever crossed paths with me."

The punch came in a heartbeat, but I had been expecting it. As Madeleine's fist lunged for my nose, I swiftly ducked and side-stepped to the right. Then I brought my arm back and slugged her right in the gut. She let out a grunt and stumbled backwards a few feet.

I grinned. "Guess you weren't expecting that one, were you?"

She glared at me. "You'll regret this, Rayne." With one hand still clutching her stomach, she reared back and aimed for my nose again. I blocked her punch easily, though it hurt my arm a bit. I countered her punch by throwing one of my own, much faster than she expected. I popped her right in the lip, causing a thin stream of blood to begin trickling down her chin.

"That one was for Sage," I growled, my fist stinging from the hit.

By now, Madeleine was beyond wounded. She was breathing hard and surprised by my agility. While she was taller and bigger, I was smaller and faster. She put her hand to her lip and glared at the bloodstains on her fingers.

"You were asking for it," I reminded her. My entire body was now buzzing with adrenaline. A few students came trickling outside from the pool deck, wondering what all the ruckus was about.