August has lived in a home with a drunk mother and a sick little brother her entire life. Until one day she can't take it anymore.
She goes to the bridge and jumps...
But a mysterious bad boy named Joel saves her. His father gives him a task...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
《 AUGUST 》
MY BREATH IS GONE.
My lungs are full of water and vision blurred. All I remember was a man—with a fucking fish tail—swimming towards me. His eyes were chocolate brown, hair as black as night.
God, I'm losing my mind.
His gold and silver tail is swishing back and forth, almost impatiently.
My legs are slowly growing numb. The cold hurts, but the boy makes it... not as painful. Then I feel something strange in my legs. A weird popping that echoed in my ears.
Breathe.
Every part of my body is burning, like someone was pressing a bruise. It felt good, but painful at the same time. I try swimming to the surface.
But I don't have legs anymore.
I glanced down at the reflective tail underneath my dress.
"What did you do to me!?" I command, anger filling my voice. He just stares at me like I'm something out of a circus.
"And what is this?!" I pointed harshly to my tail, nose wrinkling as if I bit into a lemon.
He chuckles.
"I didn't give it to you. It was already hidden in your soul. I only unlocked it for you."
"W-Who are you..?" I ask, swimming with him to the surface. My dress trailing in wet waves behind me, my bare feet on the cool rocks of the shore.
I feel almost an irresistible pull to him. Almost like I have to be with him at all times. I'm afraid he is going to leave.
I look down and see my hair whipping in the wind. There is a strange new color in it though. My waist-length hair, that I vowed never to cut, is colored a blueish green. It shines in the dark of the night.
"I'm Joel. You?" he asks softly, his voice a low hum.
"August," I stated.
"What is a little thing like you doing in a river?"Joel continues, ignoring my tone.
"Does it matter?" I snapped, venom leaking through my words. My chest constricted with a mixture of fear and shame. He didn't do anything wrong. He saved me.
He peers at me from under his black eyelashes. I look back at him in his chocolate eyes.
"Don't look at me," I whisper. I felt the blush crawling underneath my cheeks and tried to swallow the butterflies that made my stomach flutter.
"Alright, fishbait. Why are you in the dress?"
I sigh.
"I was going to prom with my friend. Happy?" I mumbled under my breath. My childhood friend—Aiden—is probably wondering where I am.
Oh hell, I'll make up an excuse tomorrow.
"A friend? Or a boyfriend?" he arched a dark eyebrow suspiciously, a mischievous smirk playing across his lips.
I grinned.
"Aiden's just a friend. We just wanted to hang out. Besides, he's... you know... gay."
I flipped my wrist, which caused him to bark out a sharp laugh.
"Alright. Well, how 'bout I take you to prom instead?" Joel smiles, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He holds out his hand, "come on, fishbait. I won't bite."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
