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

I began.
    â€œThat things were different? Me, too, kiddo—” but Coach Laurena’s words were cut off when she coughed. She pulled out an asthma inhaler from her pocket and coughed a few more times before taking a few puffs. “Oh, excuse me. The air’s been really dry around here lately, don’t you think?”
    â€œNot really.” I looked around the dressing room. The mirrors by the sinks were still steamed up from when the girls took showers before going out to the pool deck.
    Coach Laurena put a hand to her chest. “Well, anyway, come on out when you’re ready. I’m going to get the girls started on a few underwater drills.”
    â€œWe’ll only be a few more minutes,” I assured her as I watched her go.
    But something was weird about what had just happened. I hadn’t known Coach Laurena for very long—in fact, she’d only moved to Port Toulouse a few years before—but I couldn’t remember her ever using an inhaler before. And Bridget with her limp? Then Luke with all that salt on his fries. And Mom with her new glasses?
    Something was definitely up, and I wondered if it had anything to do with the upcoming supermoon.
    â€œJade! Helping me? Helping me!” The dressing-room door slammed open, and Serena stumbled out. She had her bathing suit on (mostly) except the straps were wrapped around her neck three times and her arms flapped in desperation, trying to get free.
    Friday could not come soon enough.
    â€¢ • •
    Serena and I stepped onto the pool deck with our fins, masks, and snorkels after I rescued her from her wardrobe malfunction. Marcelle, Charlotte, Devon, and Ella were already in the water swimming lengths.
    Just remember, I rang to her in my mer voice to make sure none of the other girls could understand. A few breaths of water and you’ll be sprouting a tail again, so use the snorkel like I showed you on that YouTube video.
    Serena nodded. Coach Laurena heard my mer rings and gave us a thumbs-up.
    I helped Serena with her diving mask and snorkel, but she fought me like a ten-pound salmon.
    â€œHold still,” I said, snapping her mask strap against my finger hard enough to send a sting through my hand. “Ouch!”
    Finally, Serena stood still long enough to get the mask on. She actually looked exactly like everyone else once she had the whole ensemble together. Nobody would have guessed that she secretly lived as a mermaid in Talisman Lake. My confidence about whether this whole plan could work grew. Maybe we could pull this off after all. For now, Serena was just a regular high-school kid from Port Toulouse Regional High.
    Well, until she and the rest of us got dragged back to sea in exactly seven days.
    I got my snorkel and mask on while Coach Laurena and Serena rifled through the equipment bag full of small handheld hockey sticks and pucks.
    â€œSo, since you two are new, I’ll explain the basics and you’ll get to learn more when we play one on one later,” Coach Laurena said.
    â€œSounds good. But fair warning? I’m not really the sporty type,” I warned her. “Last time I played any kind of organized sport, I nearly gave myself a concussion with a badminton racket.”
    â€œWell, hopefully this will turn out better for you.” Coach Laurena laughed. “Underwater hockey is like ice hockey, but there’s a lot less body-checking involved, so it’s safer.”
    â€œAnd a lot wetter, apparently,” I jumped back as Devon dove in and splashed me.
    â€œBasically, two teams fight for control of a puck at the bottom of the pool,” Coach Laurena continued and held up a small stick. “You move the puck around with one of these handheld sticks. The object of the game is to pass the puck to your teammates until you score a goal in the opponent’s net.”
    â€œSounds complicated,” I muttered. I had trouble keeping up with the rules of table