Bella walked across the sandy grounds towards Will's weathered, paint-chipped boatshed. Honestly, it was a wonder how he could cope living there. How could his parents even allow him to live alone? However, thinking about the circumstances of her transformation into a mermaid, she quickly brushed off her surprise.
Will was already standing on the porch of his boatshed, smiling a greeting to her. Gently taking her hand into his, he led her inside to showcase his new collection of shells. It had become a routine to do this every time they snatched a few minutes to themselves, and Bella usually tried resisting her boredom to enjoy being in her boyfriend's company; however, today, she was incredibly antsy about the surprise Will said he was going to show her.
Will's lips curved up as Bella impatiently tried hinting about the surprise, as he said, "Ah, my dear Bella. I'll show you, just wait!"
Rummaging through the shelves in the back of his shed, he emerged from the fray, holding up a glistening shell hooked onto a thin, black string.
"Will! It looks amazing!" Bella exclaimed, hurrying up the necklace and examining it thoroughly. The shell was absolutely astonishing; the beauty of it was unfathomable. The ridges that swirled to the tip of the shell were lined with little bumps resembling pearls, and the whole shell seemed to have a heavenly glow to it. It was so extraordinary that Bella spent a few minutes just gawking at it.
Will simply said, "I knew you'd like it."
"Like it?" Bella dramatically asked with a flick of her hair, "I love it!" Taking the necklace from him, she pressed a kiss to his cheek and hugged him tightly. The kiss deepened and became more passionate as Bella set the necklace down to hold Will more. Will reached his strong hands to grip Bella's waist, as Bella wrapped her tan arms around Will's neck. Just as they were enjoying the quiet time they had to each other, Bella's phone rang, reverberating around the tiny boatshed. Bella gently extricated herself from Will's embrace and answered her phone. The whole time she listened, her face began to become solemn with a touch of puzzlement.
"What is it, Bella?" Will asked.
As Bella ended the call, she slowly said, "It was Rikki. She said her friend Emma has returned to the Gold Coast."
Bella and Will hastily hurried towards Rikki's Cafe, noticing a new girl conversing with Rikki and Cleo excitedly.
"Hey! Hey, guys!" Bella yelled, waving her arms for extra emphasis.
The trio sitting outside of the cafe turned around to the commotion, however the reception was so different. Rikki and Cleo smiled and beckoned Bella and Will over, but the new girl indifferently nodded her head at them as a sign of acknowledgement.
"Bella," Rikki began, gesturing to the new, blond girl, "This is Emma. Emma, Bella."
"Hey," Bella warmly greeted, sticking out a hand."
Emma seemed to glare at her, before reluctantly shaking her hand. Under her breath, although no one else noticed, Bella could distinctly hear Emma whisper, "Ugh, so this is the weird girl who is trying to steal my friends."
Hoping that she misheard, she innocently said, "What?"
"Oh, nothing," Emma answered, smiling a little too sweetly.
Sensing some tension, Rikki awkwardly said, "Why don't we take Emma on a tour? Let her see how things have changed."
At the mention of "changed," Bella could see Emma wincing discreetly. "You know what?" Emma suggested to Rikki, "Dear Bella must be a little disoriented from meeting me. Why don't you and Cleo take me on a tour? Bella can stay behind with that boy."
"Will," Will offered sheepishly.
"Right," Emma affirmed.
Cleo nodded slowly, "Sure, if that's okay with you, Bella?"
Bella gritted her teeth before responding, "Sure."
"Great, it's settled. See you soon, Bella!" Cleo and Rikki said in unison. Emma just gaped at Bella for a few seconds before following her friends.
As Bella watched her friends receding into the distance, she immediately turned to Will and hissed, "What is wrong with that Emma girl? I was trying to be nice and introduce myself, but I heard her whisper, 'Ugh, so this is the weird girl who is trying to steal my friends.'"
"Yeah, she seemed a little harsh," Will said in return, "Cut her some slack, though. She must seem a little surprised to see that her friends have a new best friend now."
"Yeah, I guess," Bella muttered. However, in her mind, all she could think of was how much trouble she might have to face with Emma around.