Forget me lots (Completed)

6. River & Dawn 🌿🐝

For a split second, I think I'm hallucinating. A scenario where a boy shows up out of nowhere and takes a chance on the fat, drowning weirdo seems unlikely. More than that, it seems straight up taken from a cheesy chick flick movie. Yet, here he is. Staring. At. Me.

River stole me from the lake, leaving the angry fish all high and dry. I bet they are wondering why he did it. I'm sure if I listen past his wheezing, I'll hear them flapping their fins around while gossiping on his behalf.

"'Why would he do such a thing?" "Doesn't he know better than to mingle with this ferny excuse of a girl?" Nosy fish. I don't blame them. I'm as puzzled as they are.

I avoid his piercing eyes and focus mine on the lake—on its undulating magic. Bet we are the new talk of its watery bed.

Messy thoughts ricochet against the ridges of my brain. Dad disapproved of my idea to let Elsie guide me to him. He was adamant I should come out of the lake and when I was about to, the water refused to let me go. Then River came and meddled. I must think of other ways to find my father. What am I supposed to do with this boy? How do I get rid of him? Do I want to get rid of him?

I pinch my legs several times and watch how my pale skin turns crimson from the assault. When I'm done mangling my thighs, I dig my nails into my palms, welcoming the pain that helps me focus. I don't want to ride my whirlwind in front of him, so I listen to his hitched breathing and try emulating it. The crazy rhythm of his heaving chest makes me dizzy. It goes up, up, down. Up, up, up, down...

What is wrong with this boy? Is he having a heart attack? Is this the part in the movie where the director calls for a scary plot twist?

River's shadow blocks the warmth of the sun and my chubby cheeks freeze, causing my teeth to rattle. I know I haven't blipped out because my nostrils pick up his scent. It's saturating the air. I don't want him to notice the effect he has on me, so I make fists with both hands resting on the grass and dig at the earth beneath it. My nails find comfort in its cool depth.

Blink. I'm still awake.

Blink. I'm here. On this lake. By his side.

Blink. He smells like mint, and earth, and rain too—a heady combination.

Part of me wishes we were characters in a movie, so I could turn off the TV and go about my life pretending none of this happened. I know these kinds of situations only happen in stories. He is a complete stranger. He must have followed me here. I suck in a deep breath at the realization he must have watched me go in the water. Or worse, he must have heard me talking to 'myself'. I do that sometimes. When I'm certain no one is around, I answer Dad out loud. My chlorophyll blood freezes in my ferny veins, my mind reeling from the possibility.

River can't know my dad is alive in my head. I need to conceal my secret. Protect it. What if he told others what he saw? What if Dad gets mad and never talks to me again? That can't happen. Not now. Not. Ever.