Thinking about a fiery mermaid

Dedicated to Zikki3 for the review which inspired me to write this. A special mention to hermione321, Lovestorymermaid and liveonpurpose for reviewing 'Rikki's Reflections'

[Zane reflects on his relationship with Rikki over the years, his relationship with a fiery mermaid]

A/N: This is the first installment. There shall be at least a few more chapters coming in the future. I hope you enjoy it, and please review to tell me your thoughts and constructive criticism. (no flames)

Thanks

-Krystalslazz

I remember thinking 'There is something special about that girl' all those years earlier. I first saw her at school. Rikki Chadwick, the new girl. A loner.
Despite this I thought she was astoundingly attractive – genuinely attractive. She never smiled, and she smirked unimpressed at Nate, my other mates and I as we harassed and teased the younger kids and those who were less popular. I guess I was a bully, a rich prat. Of course, I didn't see it back then.

OoOoO

I sighed exasperated. It was missing. The zodiac wouldn't start without it. Someone who knew a bit about boats would be behind this. Perhaps it was Gary, that guy was always trying to get under my skin. Cleo Sertori was walking along the wharf; the perfect person to take my frustrations out on. Heartless as I was, I knew she couldn't swim as I set her adrift, watched and laughed. Suddenly, in a blur of red, black and blonde, someone launched themselves off the pier into the boat. Cleo shrieked. It was Rikki. In the distance she held up the spark plug. The cheek of it. She stared at me while talking to Cleo with a glare of disgust and something close to hatred. She started the motor. Before I knew it, I had been showered in water; drenched. That was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

OoOoO

Oh the hatred, jibes and smirks were played between us for a long while. She was especially bitter every time I brought up mermaids. I knew I had seen one, it had rescued me. Things changed between me and Rikki over on Mako. The bush was on fire: at least, I remember it to be. The strangest thing was that Rikki was there: she was in a real state. I sat down beside her and she started saying she couldn't do it anymore. This had worried me, what did she mean? And then, to my absolute surprise, she leant over and kissed me. I enjoyed it at first but then…well I must have blacked out. It must have been one hell of a kiss: I didn't remember anything after that. I confronted Rikki about it the next day with a grin. She however shut me down and told me to forget it. I could not understand her reaction, I mean, she had kissed me right? I tried to put it to the side but I felt the hate subsiding. I was actually beginning to like her, actually like her like her. As the weeks passed I found her retorts and rebukes increasingly attractive, I would never let anyone see that of course.

Then, I saw her at the seminar my dad was speaking at. It was a scam but it was partially how my family got rich. I'd been to many like this before and they were all the same, terribly dull. I saw her in the foyer.
"What are you doing here?" I had asked. She looked surprised to see me.
"What are you doing here?" she said.
"I asked you first," I replied.
"What are you? Ten?" she retorted. I sighed. Rikki's fire was attractive mainly when I wasn't on the receiving end.

"Well, it's been riveting," she said. I couldn't just let her go; even though we weren't friends, I was so bored and lonely.
Rikki took me up on the food offer and followed me upstairs. As she helped herself to food, I talked to her about the room. I am sorry to say, for some sad reason, I was trying to impress her: "If you go for that sort of thing," I said
"I don't" she replied finding the food much more interesting than me. I felt like an idiot. She went out onto the deck and the unexpected happened; the door locked behind me. No way. I was trapped on a deck in the sky with none other than Rikki Chadwick.

It wasn't so much that I was trapped with her; it was more that I couldn't let her of all people see me and my fear of heights. I would have laughed at her vampire jibe if I wasn't in such a state. After I snapped at her, she clicked onto it immediately.
"Are you scared of heights or something?"
I hesitated as she led me to the edge of the deck, "Trust me," she said. She looked so beautiful in that instance. She asked me to think of something I admired, a painting or something. I must've looked blank until she suggested a speedboat or 'stupid' car. As she beamed at me, all I could think of was how beautiful she was and how I admired her for not laughing at me. Her smile was contagious, and one of my own crept across my face. For some reason she made me feel safe.
"Feeling better?" she asked with a grin. I agreed in the affirmative. I was amazed at the changed in our relationship: first we despised each other, I was an arrogant prick, cool, in the 'in' crowd. She on the other hand was a loner when she first started and then she had surprisingly made friends with Emma, Lewis and Cleo, all of which I had grown up with. I had been friends with them but I outgrew them deciding I was much cooler. Seeing how I had ditched them and became a stuck up bully, there is no wonder they started to despise me. Rikki had seen the persona I put on in public and judged me rightfully for it. I on the other hand, had judged her from the beginning. But then I saw her as she was on the deck, away from our reality. We opened up and I told her things that I kept to myself and she did the same in response. I was falling for her, I realised then not for the first time.

Thunder rumbled in the sky and a raindrop fell onto the railing. Rikki dashed under cover right before it started to pour. I thought this strange but I couldn't judge because of my exhibition earlier, "I didn't want to get wet," she explained weakly.
I offered her my jacket and I think I was actually surprised she took it. I tucked a piece of stray blonde hair behind her ear and leaned in to kiss her when my Dad had to ruin the perfect moment. He wasn't impressed at our antics of throwing paper darts off the deck – his notes. I couldn't believe that he actually went as far to say that Rikki didn't have a future. It felt good to stand up to him, especially in defending Rikki. When I turned to Rikki, I saw that she had a smile on her face. I almost laughed at the expression on my Dad's face when she said it would be a lie to say that it was nice to meet him, but then she left. For the second time that day, I couldn't just let her go. I caught her in the elevator, just in time, glad for an excuse: "You've still got my jacket," She shrugged it off and handed it to me. I leaned in for a kiss and she responded. It felt magical. I concluded in my jumbled mind that I had fallen for her. A girl I had thought uncool and inferior had captured my interests; who would have thought it?