Free Real Mermaids Don't Need High Heels by Helene Boudreau

sending Serena back a day early for her weekend with her parents in Talisman Lake if she didn’t cut it out with this bathing-suit thing. In only her first week of school, Serena had managed to almost set the science lab on fire with a Bunsen burner, delete our Social Studies project from my hard drive so we had to start all over, and get us both called into the office to be told that shoes were mandatory in school.
    â€œBut, house inside. No shoes?” she’d asked when we’d left the office.
    I had to sit her down on the bench outside the office for a full ten minutes to explain that yes, we took off our shoes at the house but that the school was not a house. We finally agreed Serena could wear flip-flops instead of shoes except for gym and science class (lab rules), but I wasn’t sure how we would explain that once winter hit.
    I collapsed into my bed each night, exhausted from constantly having to cover up for her weird ways or explain things for the millionth time.
    It was like babysitting six toddlers and a puppy.
    Once I heard the door to the pool deck whoosh closed behind Marcelle and Charlotte, I turned to Serena and looked at her sternly. “You’ve got two minutes to get into your bathing suit and cap, or else I’m quitting this team and taking you with me.”
    Serena’s bottom lip quivered. “No water swim?”
    â€œOnly if you put this on.” I held the suit out and pointed to the dressing room for her to get changed. If I had to squeeze myself into a Speedo and bare my gleaming white thighs, Serena would have to suck it up and get with the program.
    â€œEverything okay?” Coach Laurena asked as she came in from the pool deck.
    â€œYeah. Serena’s just having a little trouble with the uniform.” I looked around to make sure no one else had followed her. Thankfully, Laurena would understand Serena’s mer-to-human adjustment period. She was the one who came to our rescue on the barefoot front when she saw us getting pulled into the principal’s office.
    â€œGot it.” Coach Laurena laughed. “I remember the first time I wore a bathing suit a few years ago. It felt kinda wrong to me, too. Actually, I’m glad I caught you. I was at the diner picking up coffee before work, and Daniel told me Bridget’s been having trouble with her legs lately. She keeps saying it’s nothing, but do you remember her having trouble walking when you worked at the ice cream parlor this summer? Daniel sounded worried.”
    I thought back. I knew Bridget had really dry skin on her legs and always carried skin cream around, but I couldn’t remember her having trouble walking. “No, I don’t think so. But I did see her limping the other day. Maybe she twisted her ankle or hurt her knee or something.”
    â€œYeah, maybe you’re right.”
    â€œHey, I was wondering.” Something had nagged at me since I found out Laurena was a mer. “My mom has never worked or had a driver’s license so it hasn’t been an issue, but how did you get this job if you’re not actually human?” I asked. “And don’t you need some sort of birth certificate to get married?”
    Which got me thinking. Did that mean Mom and Dad weren’t actually married, either? Gah! What if they weren’t? Things were certainly getting complicated.
    â€œWell, Eddie got me this job.” Coach Laurena laughed. “And I’ve been engaged for two years now and will probably stay that way for the foreseeable future. Daniel understands, though. It’s not such a big deal, I guess.”
    But something in her eyes suggested otherwise.
    â€œAnd Bridget?” I asked.
    â€œEddie’s sister’s name is Bridget. She lives in Australia now but sent Eddie just enough of her old paperwork for our Bridget to get a driver’s license and set up the diner.”
    â€œThis is all so messed up. I just wish…”