H2O: Just Add Water | Season 4

Run and Hide

"You have to be here that early in the morning? On monday? You know I hate my monday shifts," Will said and wiped the table Nash was sitting at, as he was drinking his coffee.
"Gee, what a friend." Nash sarcasticlly said and smiled at Will, who smiled back.
Will walked back towards the kitchen.
"What's wrong with your friend?" Evelyn asked him as he was soaking his towel with more water and soap.
"What's right with him?" He joked, and continued doing his job.
Will's tone became softer and more serious. "I guess he's just been through a lot lately."

On the front of the store, it was completely empty. In a matter of fact, they didn't even open yet, but Will still allowed Nash in, mostly since he felt like he really needed some support.
"How are you copying?" Evelyn popped out of nowhere and sat by the table.
Nash looked at her in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"Will told me you're not at your best, so I thought I could cheer you up," The brunette girl said, smiling widely, that seemed too true to be faked.

Evelyn was probably the nicest girl; She just started her last year of high school, yet she was still a kid at heart. She was part Italian and part Spanish, but somehow her family managed to find their way to Gold Coast. She had two little brothers, and almost twenty dogs, since her parents worked at the animal clinic, and brought sick or injured animals to watch over the night. To everyone else, Evelyn seemed to be pretty simple - she was friendly, always happy, and pretty talented. She was at her school's music and drama programs, and was one of the best in both. She was born to stardom, as she claimed herself, and kept a small YouTube channel going, hoping that one day, she would get discovered. In terms of romance, she didn't have much of experience: throughout her entire life, she only dated one guy, Diego Hunter. They dated for almost three years, until they had broken up last summer. Although she was heart broken, she managed to move on pretty quickly, and that led her to looking for someone better.

Nash wasn't really in the mood for talking at the moment, but he somehow couldn't turn her down. "It's... It's nothing, trust me," He mumbled through the vapors of the hot beverage.
She touched his arm. "Whoever she was, she's gotta be a real dummy to let you go," She said and stood up, then walked back to work.

Nash wished he could tell her it was his mistake, and just tell someone about how he feels. But Will don't understand him, and he definitely can't tell this random girl about his mermaid ex-girlfriend who almost stunned him to death. Too weird, he thought.

SKIP

"How could it be?" Cleo asked Lewis through the camera. She sat on the couch in the girls' living room, Emma and Bella by her side. They figured Rikki was still asleep in her room, so Cleo decided to consult with Lewis about the events of last night.
"I mean, the doctors said he was literally struck by lightning, yet a few hours later he was totally fine?"
"Well, there's plenty we don't know about mermaids yet, it is possible that maybe you guys can heal up faster than most people," Lewis suggested.
"Yeah but how? How is it even possible?" Cleo was upset.
"Many animals at nature have that kind of ability - lizards, insects, amphibians - It is possible that mermaids goes by the same way as well." He said, with certain passion to it. "Although I won't be sure until I'd run some tests. I'll be heading home in two days anyway, so if he'd agree, I believe I cou--" Cleo shut the laptop screen closed as Rikki came down by the stairs. The three girls looked at her in tension, as if were caught doing something illegal or wrong.
"What's going on?" Rikki asked in suspicion, and walked in the living room.
"Just talking to Lewis," Cleo answered.
"About what?"
The three girls were shut silent in embarrassment.
"Just because we broke up, doesn't mean you can't say his name."
Bella spoke up. "Yeah, but we thought-"
"Well you thought wrong," Rikki said, and headed to the kitchen.
Cleo raised up her laptop screen. "Sorry bout that,"
"No, that's fine, I get it." Lewis said, a bit irritated.
"See you in a couple of days?" She said and blew a kiss at the screen, the logged out.
"You two disgust me." Emma said.
"I think it's cute." Bella smiled.
"I just think you're jealous because Ash moved to Kenya and can't talk to her." Cleo poked her arm.
Emma sighed. "No, it's not it, at all. I mean - it bothers me, of course, but it was his dream road and he had to follow it."
Cleo and Bella stayed silent.

"She's totally jealous!" Rikki shouted from the kitchen which made the two laugh, and Emma sighed heavily.

SKIP

Rikki was on her way to the marine park to see Cleo when her phone rang. She recognized that number, it's the same number she deleted from her phone almost a year ago: Zane.

She sighed and picked up.
"Yeah Zane what do you need?"
"Is that how you answer your calls nowadays?" Zane sarcasticlly said from the other side of the line.
"Don't piss me off, Zane, I have very short temper for you today." Rikki said in anger.
Zane recognized that tone, and decided a different strategy. "I miss you Rikki," He said, and waited for her reply, but she did not speak.
Her continued. "I miss your smell, I miss your touch...I miss everything about you,"
Rikki sighed. "Zane..." She was not in the mood for having that conversation.
"And I know you miss me too," He said, and she could feel him smirking on the other side of the line. "Just think of all the crazy little things up in your mind that we'd be doing this minute if we were in the dark."
"Zane, you know I'm not that type of girl." She said in anger.

"Well, you're already 18. How long it's gonna take before you grow up and do adult things? God dammit!" That moment Rikki saw his true colors and knew what she had to do.

"Excuse me for being busy over the top with the business YOU left behind for me to handle with. But that's not a shocker to you, isn't it? You're used to leaving people to deal with your crap."
Zane was speechless as Rikki hang up the phone. She felt good - actually she felt better. She felt like she finally pushed Zane's words into his stupid face. And that felt awesome.

SKIP

It was already nine pm, and Nash didn't know how the hell he spent his entire day at Starbucks. But he was too moody to do anything else, or to see anyone but his best friend, and so he he just sat there, alone with his thoughts, for all those hours. Will even called Bella earlier, in hope she'd get him cheered up, but even she failed.

Nash was now standing outside, as Will and Evelyn prepared the store for closing. Nash rarely smoked, and still carried around this one box he bought last year. But at this loneliness hour, he felt in need for a cigarette so badly, he couldn't ressist it.

He sat there, on the concrete floor, the smoke covering his face, as Evelyn walked out. It was a chilly autumn night, and the mood was just perfect.
"I didn't know you're smoking," She said, cuddling in her jacket.
"Neither did I," He said, looking away from her.
"Why are you really here?" she asked and turned to his face.
"Guess I'm just looking my place in the world,"
"Well you're not gonna find it on the floor outside of Starbucks at night." She said and smiled softly.
Nash put his cigarette out, dragged it on the floor and saw its dust fly in the light breeze. "You have a better idea?"
"How about lunch tomorrow?" She said.
"As in a date?" He finally looked up at her.
"Only if you wanna call it that way,"
Nash hesitated. "Sorry, I don't feel I'm ready to be back in the game, if you know what I mean."

"Then it's not a date. Will you please just come tomorrow? I hate seeing you like that."
"Why?" He asked. "You barely know me."

She sat down by him. "I care for people I don't know sometimes, it's... weird."
"Yeah, you're pretty  fucked up," he laughed lightly.
"Don't push it," She joked.

She got up, cleaned dust off her jeans, and reached out for him.
"Well?" He grabbed her hand and stood up.
"Fine, see you tomorrow."