Tera Lynn Childs - What Coral Wants

MAP

Forty-seven days.

Its been forty-seven days since I last saw Zak Marlin.

That probably doesnt seem like a long time. Less than two months, right? But before the day he swam off for orientation at University of the Western Atlantic at Desfleurelle, I saw him almost every single day for four straight years. Forty-seven days feels like a lifetime.

Ive told myself to stop counting. Begged myself even.

Come on, Coral. Get your act together. Get over him.

Wasnt four years of loving from afar enough? Havent I earned a break from thinking about him every waking moment?

Okay, not every waking moment. I have good grades, am involved in several extracurriculars, and help out in my familys pearl business when they need me.

But whenever I have a free moment, my mind drifts to him.

Where is he right now?

Whats he doing?

Is he enjoying college?

Has he made new friends?

Does he get homesick?

I have no right to ponder these questions. At least no more right than anyone else at Queen Sirenia Academy. Hes not technically anything special to me. QSAs star seaball player. My best friends older brother. Another mergirls boyfriend.

Were friends, I guess, but nothing more. Never more.

Youd think I would have learned my lesson by now.

Big crushes die hard.

And believe me, Ive tried to kill it.

Why am I telling you all of this right up front? We just met, and here I am spilling my deepest, darkest secret. (Seriously, dont tell anyone. No one, not even my best friend knows. Because, you know, sister of said crush and all.)

Anyway, Im telling you this because I want you to understand the full impact of what I feel when I float out of school on an ordinary afternoon and swim straight into Zak Marlins chest.

Im not looking where Im going. In a rush to get home, I speed around a corner and BLAM! Crush crash.

I know immediately that its him. In the same way a mermom knows her guppys cry from an ocean away. The instant my cheek connects with his t-shirt-covered shoulder, I know.

I want to laugh and cry at the same time.

His hands come up to catch meor maybe to push me away since I, you know, just smashed into him. The heat from his palms sends a shiver all the way to the tip of my tailfin.

In a flash, I re-memorize everything about his face. The way his dark gold brows frown low over his kelp-green eyes. The way his curls wave a little longer because he hasnt gotten a haircut since he left. The way his cheeks flush dusky pinkpossibly because he just had a near-death collision with a speedy mergirl.

I take it all in because Ive been in withdrawal for forty-seven days and I dont know why hes here or how long hes staying.

A mergirl has to look her fill while she can.

Are you all Zaks concerned expression morphs into a grin. Coral!

Keep it together.

As quick as a mackerel evading a shark, I shove the lovesick version of myself down deep inside and replace it with the fun-loving-little-sisters-best-friend character Ive been playing for years. Ive had so much practice playing this role that youd think Id start to believe it myself.

Not a chance.

The rest of the mer world might be clueless, but my heart sees through the facade.

Guilty, I reply with a perilously fake grin. I didnt know you were coming home.

The blush in his cheeks deepens.

I havent told anyone. Its a surprise.

Does your family know?

He shakes his head. I needed to stop by school first.

My heart dances at the thought that I know this secret, that Im the first merperson to know that hes home.

Whats the surprise? I ask.

He releases my arms and shoves a hand through his curls.

As chilly seawater rushes in where his hands had been, I shiver againin a less thrilling way this time.

If I was at all capable of playing it cool, at this point I would think something smooth like, I totally forgot he was still holding them. But, lets be honest, I have been acutely and painfully aware of every single instant of contact.

Coach asked me to come, he says. He wants me to give a speech at the Give Back Game.

I dont miss the tiny tremor in his voice.

Despite his perfection in nearly every possible way, Zak has always been nervous about speaking in front of crowds. A public speaker he is not. He once faked sick to get out of presenting his science fair project.

The Give Back Game is about as much public as you can get.

Even though the teams record has been awful since losing Zak, the crowd at this gamepretty much the most popular event of QSAs annual Give Back Weekwill be huge. Current students, faculty, alumni, and all their families will come out to support the team and donate to the schools charitable foundation. The stands will be full.

No wonder Zak sounds nervous.

I try to sound as positive as possible. Wow, thats great!

Maybe its unkind of me, but seeing this tiny weakness in himthis chip in the otherwise flawlessness of the great Zak Marlinonly makes me love him more. It makes him seem morereal.

So youll be home all Give Back Week? I ask, partly to distract him from the thought of public speaking, but mostly because I wantno, I needto know.

Even though were technically friends, were not friends friends. Its not like weve been exchanging message bubbles since he went away. Or that I could ask Zanzie about him without raising her suspicions. Ive been in a Zak-related blackout.

Yep, all week, he says. Were on mid-semester break at school.

Did my heart do a little dance earlier? Now its breaking into a complete flash mob routine. An entire week of him? My Zak-starved brain is ecstatic.

The only thing that dampens my joy is the little shadow that comes over his eyes. No one else would see it, butlike I saidIm a little obsessed with the details when it comes to Zak. So I notice.

Its not the same as his nerves about public speaking, either. Its something different.

What? I float ever-so-slightly closer. Whats wrong?

Nothing. He shakes his head, like he doesnt want to discuss it. Its just

But maybe he does.

I hold my breath.

He rubs his hand over his face. Angel and I broke up.

What?!

Did I scream that out loud?

It feels like a tsunami just crashed into me and knocked the breath out of my lungs. Zak? Angel? Break-up? After two years?! I cant compute this news.

I mean I clench my hands into fists to keep from clapping in giddy joy. Bad form, that. I thought you guys were practically engaged.

The shadow in his eyes darkens a little. He closes them for a second, and when he opens them the shadow is gone. His mouth quirks to one side in a self-effacing grin that is #2 on my list of favorite Zak smiles.

I bite my lip to keep from grinning back like a fool.

Not quite, he says. But I think everyone was expecting that. I guess Angel didnt think the long-distance thing could work.

All the water rushes back into my lungs at once.