Chap. 7
"We need to talk."
Rikki rolled her eyes. "Are you still on this whole thing about Bella again?"
Will seemed irritated. "Yes, and now I have a reason to be. I know she's hiding something now."
"What makes you say that?" Cleo asks warily. She's brushing the idea aside as well.
"This morning," Will explains. "She was acting really weird. When I went up to her, I frightened her and she dropped some papers. I tried to help her pick them up, but she wouldn't let me. She wouldn't let me see whatever was on those papers. When I accused her of hiding something, she didn't deny it, but she refused to confirm it, too. I'm telling you, there's something she's not telling us!"
Cleo and Rikki take this into consideration. Will may be onto something, but it seems a little farfetched. Rikki humors him. "Alright, say she is hiding something. What on earth could it possibly be?"She lowers her voice. "I mean, we already know she's a mermaid. What could be bigger than that?"
Will thinks, but despite what he does know, he doesn't have the slightest idea of what it is. "I don't know," he says. "It may not be bigger than that. But whatever it is, she doesn't want us to know. And I want to know what she's not telling us and why."
There's a determination in his voice that scares the girls a little. A passion, an intensity for it. He wasn't going to let it go. Cleo speaks up. "Why are you so set on this? Can't you just let it be?" Cleo understood why Will might want to know, but shouldn't he respect Bella's privacy?
"No, I can't. I'm sure you all have secrets that you keep from one another, but it's not noticeable. Whatever Bella's hold back is affecting her. Something's changed, and I can't just let it be," Will says, his voice full of fire. He softens a bit. "I can't let anything hurt her."
Cleo sighs and looks to Rikki. She gives an empathetic shrug. "He might be on to something," she admits. "If something's happening to Bella, we can't just let it go. We need to show her that we care."
"You're right," Cleo agrees with a nod. "But we can't just barge right in and demand she tell us whatever she may be hiding. We have to just figure it out."
"And we will," says Will. "But not for ourselves." The girls look at him curiously.
"For Bella."
…
Bella made her way down the steps towards her English class. She was afraid for many reasons to go. For one thing, it was the first class where she had close contact to Will, who she hadn't spoken to since their confrontation this morning. She was in deep water with him and his suspicions of her at the moment.
The other reason was Mr. Bennett. He had figured out about Bella's dyslexia through her own carelessness yesterday, mentioned something about her being secretive, and then told her he'd talk to her about it tomorrow. Her stomach dropped at the thought of what that could mean.
No matter how she tried to play it, she was having a pattern of making everyone suspicious. She had a feeling a watchful eye will be kept on her throughout English.
She braced herself and entered the classroom. She saw that Will, Cleo, and Rikki, were already there, shooting each other glances. Bella quietly took her seat next to Will and got out her notebook and book for class. Will tapped her on the shoulder as she set her pencil down. She slowly turned to him.
"Hey, we need to talk," he whispers to her.
Bella's stomach drops further. She gulps. "Wh-what about?" she stutters nervously.
Will opens his mouth to speak but is cut off by Mr. Bennett starting class. "Ok class!" he booms.
"I'll tell you later," Will whispers quickly. Bella gladly turns her attention back to their teacher as he teaches them about prepositional phrases and what not. Even though, she's looking, she's barely paying attention. She was too busy in her own mind trying to figure out what to say to Will. She knew he was going to ask. She just didn't exactly know what…
Not to mention Mr. Bennett. She had to confront him sooner or later, considering she had to give him the papers. He was obviously going to have some questions, ones she didn't want to answer. But what would she say to him otherwise? She had given the papers to the rest of her teachers already. Why would this be harder?
Because Mr. Bennett is different, that's why, thinks Bella. Something about him as a teacher is different. He almost knows things before you tell him. He can figure things out. He's smart. Take that he knew Bella has been hiding something. It just doesn't get by him. He actually pays attention. He actually cares.
Before Bella knew it, she had an assignment on her desk. She quickly got through the paper, as she was specifically anxious. She tried not to show it, but between Will's watchful eye and Mr. Bennett paying attention, probably concerned with her dyslexia, it didn't get by anyone.
Soon, she finished her paper and the bell rang. She quickly got up and tried to make a clean escape from the room, but not before Will was able to catch her by the arm and give her the look she was dreading. He began leading her out of the room where they could talk.
Suddenly, Bella wasn't sure if she was relieved or filled with more terror at what happened next.
"Not so fast, Bella," called Mr. Bennett's voice, stopping the pair from going further. "I need to speak with you."
Bella looked at up at Will as she pulled her arm away. "I gotta go…" she said. As she turned, Will opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it and just moved along. Bella reentered the classroom.
Bella walked up to Mr. Bennett's desk. "You should have papers for me," he said to her. Bella slowly pulled said papers out of her backpack and handed them to him. He quickly looked over each page silently. Bella decided to break the silence, even if it meant what she wanted to avoid. She had to get it out.
"What did you mean yesterday when you said I had been being more secretive than usual?" she asked her English teacher.
"Nothing," he said, still not turning his attention from the papers. "You're just secretive." He seems to be very blunt.
"That's not a good answer," she replied. "What do you mean?"
"What else is there?" he asks in reply. He can't get much broader than that, at least in his own mind. "You're just reserved; you kind of only keep to yourself and a few others in order not to open up too much."
"I move a lot," quickly retorted Bella. "I don't like to get too close to people before I leave."
"That may be true, but I don't think that's the only reason you're like that," Mr. Bennett says. "It just seemed like your dyslexia added to it to a point where it almost shut you out. Not good."
Bella couldn't believe it. He was absolutely right, about all of it. The only thing that was missing from his information was the fact that she was a mermaid.
"Why do you keep it all in?" he asks suddenly. Bella realizes why he's different. He's not just another teacher and he's not nosy. He's just genuinely concerned about her and everyone else's well being.
Bella half chuckles. "There's a difference between wanting to keep it in and things you don't dare let out," she replies. "This just happens to be the latter."
Mr. Bennett studies Bella curiously. "Something you don't dare let out?"
"Yeah," she started to explain. "Something you wish you didn't have to keep in, but you do."
"Why can't you let it out?" he asked.
Bella thought. She obviously couldn't say because she'd end up in a science lab. "Because people wouldn't understand." She mentally scolded herself. Just by saying that and trying to explain she was giving away way too much.
"I see," he said. He was obviously deep in thought about her words, so Bella stayed silence. She wished she knew exactly what it was. Suddenly, Bella was saved by the second bell.
"I have to go," she told Mr. Bennett as she headed for the door. "I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Ok," he said as he left. "I'll look at these papers tonight and talk to you tomorrow."
"Ok," Bella replied. She stopped. "Oh, and Mr. Bennett?" He looked up at her. She smiled. "Thanks." Despite giving away too much, it felt good to get that least little bit off her chest.
Mr. Bennett returned the smile. "Happy to help."
