Between the Land and the Sea - By Derrolyn Anderson Page 0,57

place he knew and took a quiet booth in the back. He ordered right away and made sure I got some water. I knew he was watching me, and I did my best to act as though nothing was wrong, and my whole world wasn’t being turned upside down more and more each day. I put everything that was going on out of my mind.

“Do you feel better?” he asked after we ate some pizza.

I nodded and smiled, trying to reassure him, “Yes, much... thanks.” He seemed to relax and I followed suit, leaning back and sipping on my soda.

“So, you really never went to school?” he asked, “I mean, you seem so… smart.” I laughed, finally feeling like myself, “I’ve had lots of teachers! You don’t need to be in a classroom to learn.”

He chuckled, and I really liked the way it sounded, “I guess so… I was wondering,” he switched topics, “You’ve looked like a totally different person every day this week at school...

How come?”

I looked down, pressing my lips together, “My Aunt Evie sent a bunch of my clothes down to me along with the Porsche. Cruz likes to pick the outfits for me.” He didn’t look convinced.

I smiled sheepishly and added more truthfully, “Also, those girls at school get... irritated....

by all the things that Evie gives me. So, I thought I’d just give them just a little more to be annoyed about.” It sounded petty when I said it out loud and I felt a twinge of guilt.

“You little instigator,” he chuckled again, and I looked up into blue eyes sparkling with amusement, “You don’t need to do all that stuff. I like you best the way you are right now.”

“Uhm, thanks,” I said, my cheeks burning, “but I can’t deny Cruz all of his fun.” Now I changed the subject, asking him more about his plans for the future.

We discovered that we shared the same birthday in January, which struck us both as an unusual coincidence. He would be eighteen the same day I was to turn seventeen, and I couldn’t help but remember all of Evie’s talk about destiny. Whether it meant anything or not, our common birthday made me feel closer to him, like we had a special connection.

The more I got to know Ethan the more impressed I was, for he was totally unlike any of the other boys at school. He was far more serious about mapping out his future than most people our age. It was as if he needed to know precisely what was going to happen in the future, and he worked hard to make sure things turned out like he planned. I wasn’t sure if it was good to work so hard, or bad to be so inflexible. He reminded me of my dad.

He was always polite and serious, but never without a sense of humor. He wasn’t vain at all, which I found unusual for such a good looking guy. He seemed indifferent to all the girls that flocked around him at school, ignoring them as they tried to catch his eye. I was no better than any of them, I thought, embarrassed by how quickly he had crept into my psyche, appearing in my dreams regularly.

He asked me about some of the different places I’d lived and I asked him more questions about surfing. We talked for a long time, and when the restaurant finally closed we reluctantly started for home.

Ethan pulled up and we climbed out of the little car.

“You better get some rest,” he said, walking me to the door. We stood there awkwardly for a moment while I searched in my bag for the house keys.

“Thanks for today,” I said nervously, fiddling with the lock.

“Let’s go again next Saturday,” he said.

I smiled, turning the knob, “Sounds like fun.”

He hesitated, and then turned to leave, “Goodnight Marina.”

“Goodnight,” I called after him.

When I came inside, Cruz was waiting for me on the couch. He peppered me with questions about the day, teasing me about being out so late with Ethan.

“Let’s see, you’ve only lived here a couple of months and already you’ve almost drowned twice, discovered a mermaid, and are dating the cutest guy in school!” He shook his head theatrically. “What are you going to do for your next act?” I scowled at him, “We’re not dating.”

“He took you out to eat on a Saturday night.”

“So?” I said. He just laughed at me as I headed down the hall to bed. “Good night