1 SMOOTHIE INCIDENT

Hello, all! Okay, I must admit a few things. First off: I really wanted to delete this story, but only to redo it ALL, still keeping the events the same but just fixing all (and I know I have T.O.N.S), so, for the THIRD time :P I will be redoing this chapter—and the rest. And since I am doing this on Microsoft Word, I can already see all the mistakes from all the red squiggles! :o I really hope these will be better :D 7/17/11

Cleo's POV:

I stared at the glossy orange cup in front of me. It was half-full with a strawberry shake, and I was beginning to burst. Sighing, I gripped the cup and took a long swig, slamming back down on the wooden table.

Currently, I sat at the Juicenet waiting for Lewis to arrive, but today he was dragging along—or maybe time was just going slow for me. At this point, I wasn't sure when he was going to show up. He was a half an hour late.

I glanced at the people around me who were scattered and chatting happily. Most were hanging out by the pool table, and the rest were ordering a variety of juices. Then, I saw a large chested girl standing a few booths down from mine.

She had curly blonde hair in locks lazily over her shoulder, and wore a hot pink tank top and white skirt that was two sizes too small. Quickly, I looked away from Miriam Kent, a girl who was ever-so rude to me, but I knew that wouldn't be enough, just staring at the wall. So I grabbed the menu and opened it, facing it towards the right side of my face.

It just so happened that Lewis had to walk in and shout my name.

"Hey, Cleo!" He yelled before waving his hand furiously and smiling like the blonde he was. Well, I guess there is no need for the menu! Slamming it down, I looked over and saw Miriam staring coldly back at me, a hint of a smile lingering on her smooth skin. She continued to burn a hole into my skull.

Lewis still stood by the door, his fishing gear at his side, confused.

Suddenly, she sauntered over to me, her skirt inching up her thighs, which was a sickening sight.

"Why, hello there Cleo," I was surprised to know that she wasn't being…rude.

"Hey," I smiled.

"How have you been?"

"Well, fine."

"That's great…," Miriam then leaned closer, her face close to mine as she smirked and narrowed her amber brown eyes, "but you shouldn't think I don't remember what you did."

And without a second though, she swiftly grabbed the orange cup in front of me and dumped the remains over my hair, which had been freshly blown out. The sticky pink substance trailed down my cheeks and forehead, and then I winced once I felt it drip down my back. But then I went rigid.

"Oops, sorry, it slipped," The blonde smirked and then walked out the door, oblivious to the scene she had just caused. I grabbed Lewis's lanky arm and quickly sprinted out to the dock, out of ear-shot from everyone else, trying to hurry before the fifteen seconds ticked away.

12…11…10…

"You just had to scream my name out in front of everyone!" I spoke and my eyes welled up in tears.

"Ugh, I can't talk about this right now! There is no time!"

Several Aussie's walked by, and most giggled at my appearance but the others just walked by, continuing their day.

I saw Miriam only a few feet away, fingering a heart-shaped locket that was clasped around her neck. Why does she have to be everywhere I go?

Suddenly, I felt a tingly sensation run up my legs, and I knew exactly was it meant.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. I was just really excited to see you!" He looked down.

7…6…5…

"Why? You see me every day, Lewis! Whatever, it doesn't matter! I have to go! Meet me at Mako!" I was clearly confused, but I ignored it and began to run down the dock and to the beach which wasn't so far away, I only needed to head to the coastline.

"I need to run some tests, too!" I heard him yelled from behind me and guessed he was walking to his boat.

I ran down the end of the dock and to the grains of sand that my feet set footprints in, heading towards the large, jagged rocks at the coast of the ocean where I usually hid behind before I jumped in. I checked one last time for watching eyes—I didn't want my picture in the newspaper with the headline 'Real or Fake? A Mermaid Has Been Spotted!' .

But I couldn't waste time anymore. I jumped into the tide, and broke the aquamarine surface. My transformation quickly appeared the moment my finger tapped the water.

My legs went numb and tingly once more, and I felt a tail spout. Grinning, I watched as reddish orangey scales covered my tail, which flapped freely. I will never be used to that! Once my tail had completely grown, I kicked quickly towards Mako Island, definitely enjoying the happiness of being under the water, where I felt like I always wanted to be, even though I used to be terrified of swimming.

It was merely minutes before I had swum miles and miles from the coastline, and had come up to the hole in the black rock. I pushed myself further until I came through the hole and up to the surface. Somehow, I felt exhausted from all the swimming.

I pulled myself out of the water, and it was really heavy, so I heaved it over the black rock and laid against the cool stone.

After eight full minutes, my tail had faded away, and double that when I finally heard the familiar engines of Lewis's motorboat getting closer.

I didn't exactly know how far he was from Mako, and I was very bored, just sitting here. So, after several moments of thinking, I estimated his arrival to be twenty minutes or more, since I only heard the slight buzzing.

Blowing a wavy strand of hair from my eyes, I lifted my upper body and looked at the numerous items scattered along the ground. There were mini test tubes, prongs, some charts, air-filled animals (Penguin, Alligator), and the portable laptop that was his life. Supposedly, all of the information he had collected from us mermaids, Emma and Rikki, lived on that hard drive.

Hopefully, he won't be gathering anymore toenail clippings.

Well, I have completed the first chapter I hope it is much better than it was.