Breathe and Count Back from Ten

Verónica is at Alex’s apartment for the first time. She notices that it is just like hers but reversed and remodeled. Knowing what her parents would think if they knew where she is, Verónica feels rebellious and irritated that her parents see her as not capable of making her own decisions. Alex shows Verónica his bedroom, which is full of maps of all kinds, from floor to ceiling. He explains that he got into maps when he was young and his father worked as a truck driver; he would use the maps to trace the routes his father took. As he got older, Alex developed a unique form of collage using bits of maps and created a family portrait with it. He also shows Verónica illustrated maps of Peru and Florida, noting how their shape is similar but flipped—like their apartments. Soon Verónica and Alex find themselves on Alex’s bed, and, before long, their clothes are off. Verónica feels validated knowing that her body is still desirable despite its flaws.

Verónica walks home from Alex’s place, trying her best to avoid being seen by her parents. On the way, she comes across Dani and Jason kissing in a hammock and stops to lecture Dani about being out with a boy in public. An argument ensues between the sisters because Dani feels like Verónica gets all of their parents’ attention. Verónica, on the other hand, feels like Dani doesn’t understand how hard things have been for her. The argument ends when Dani calls Verónica a “self-absorbed liar” (280) after Verónica threatens to tell their parents about Jason, worried that Dani will reveal the truth about her job.

On Monday, Verónica wakes up knowing that she’s going to receive her mermaid tail. At the same time, a huge storm appears to be heading toward the cove. Lila picks up Verónica for rehearsal, and the sky is ominous. Verónica is presented her tail and is in awe of the purples and pinks woven through it. The crew begins rehearsals, and just as Verónica is practicing her buoyancy techniques, she sees her parents approaching on the other side of the glass.

Verónica comes out of the water and sees her parents, visibly upset. Mami tells Verónica to get changed and get in the car, and Verónica has no choice but to obey. On the ride home, Mami and Papi become increasingly angry as Verónica admits to forging Mami’s signature and lying about the work she has been doing. Mami lectures Verónica for risking injury, potentially incurring more hospital bills, and forging a document. Because they only just received permanent resident status, she worries constantly about being deported. Papi believes that the stories Mami told Verónica about mermaids led her to become too interested in a fantasy world. Mami tells Verónica that she will have to quit immediately, and that her MRI is on Wednesday—the same day as her first performance. Verónica feels like her entire world is caving in, and when she gets home, she confronts Dani, certain that she told their parents. Dani admits that Mami saw a photo advertisement of Verónica with the crew. Verónica sees the photo, and the first thing she notices is that her scars have been digitally removed.

The next day, Verónica’s parents tell her to stay home, take her keys, and track her phone. Leslie comes over to comfort and keep Verónica company after her parents leave for work, and Verónica expresses concerns about returning to work after the humiliation she experienced yesterday. She finally tells Leslie about the necrosis in her hip and the possibility that it might deteriorate quickly. Afterward, Verónica goes to see Alex at the racquetball court. As she just did with Leslie, she tells Alex about her upcoming MRI and worsening condition. Together, they watch as a manatee floats at the surface of the water and notice that her belly has scars, likely from a boat propeller. Verónica also tells Alex about how her scars were erased from the picture for the show and feels as though the picture doesn’t authentically reflect who she is.

Verónica is awake in the middle of the night and staring at the photograph of her missing scars. She feels strange because for so long she wanted them gone. She thought that the perfection and fantasy of mermaiding would make that dream happen. Now that she sees this unknown version of herself, she is uncomfortable and knows that her scars are a part of her. She knows, too, that they don’t need to be hidden anymore. Dani wakes up and sits with Verónica. They talk about their parents and how strict they are. After a day of indecision, Verónica decides to go to the performance. She leaves her parents a note to come find her there and heads out with her sister.

Waiting for the show to begin, Verónica can’t believe how nervous she is. She feels like she’s been flipped inside out, and she wonders if she still belongs at Mermaid Cove. Before the show, she confronts Barb, telling her to take the photo down and warning that she will quit if her scars are erased again. Barb tries to tell Verónica that her scars are beautiful and blames the decision on Verónica because she has tried to hide them. Verónica doesn’t want her “scars to be seen as beautiful, or ugly, or strange or badass” (311). She just wants them to exist. Soon enough, it’s time for the performance and the music starts. Just before beginning, Verónica notices her parents in the audience and realizes she is glad to see them there. Geoff and Verónica pump up each other’s confidence and head down into the tubes to perform the opening number, which is a rendition of The Little Mermaid. Afterward, Verónica and Geoff perform Verónica’s Huacachina piece. Verónica changes the story’s ending and the type of person Huacachina was. Rather than drowning in tears, she helps the hunter by allowing him to swim in the new waters until his own grief is healed. The sun dries her tail back to human legs while the hunter becomes a merperson and makes a new home in the lagoon. Geoff, finally getting to be himself, wears Verónica’s mermaid tail to depict the conclusion of the story.

After the show, Geoff and Verónica sign autographs and take photos with fans, and then Verónica goes to find her family and friends. Dani and Leslie congratulate and hug Verónica, and Alex waits patiently nearby while Verónica talks to her parents. Verónica’s mother seems confused and emotional, and both she and Papi are not sure how to react to the show. Papi manages to say the show was original and then asks Verónica to follow them to the car for the MRI appointment. Verónica decides she is going to introduce her parents to Alex. In her classic fashion, Mami criticizes Verónica and what she might do with a boy, but Verónica stands up for herself and states that she plans to maintain full control over her own body from now on. She decides, too, to go with Alex to the MRI instead. He gives her a map collage that is a portrait of her face. It is composed of maps of Peru, Florida, and Palmview Lakes, all the places Verónica calls home.

Verónica endures the MRI without much emotion, distancing her mind from the experience. Afterward, the doctor looks at the scans and determines that Verónica has stage three necrosis in her femoral head. He asks Verónica how she’s been feeling and how severe her pain has been, and he tells Verónica she can determine whether she has hip replacement surgery now or later based on how much either the pain or the surgery would intrude upon her life. Verónica is shocked to hear that, for once, she gets to decide the course of her own treatment and future.

In the car on the way home, Mami apologizes to Verónica for the fact that her hip dysplasia wasn’t caught early enough to need simpler treatments. Verónica explains that she doesn’t blame her parents for anything and wouldn’t change any part of herself or what she has been through. She tells Papi that he needs to trust her to make her own choices and reminds her parents that she is almost 18. Verónica checks her social media and finds dozens of posts about her and Geoff’s show. One photo from the cove itself shows Verónica and her scars. At home, Verónica tells Mami that she is going to the pool and that Alex will be there. Mami warns her once again that one decision can change her life, and Verónica assures her mother that she is capable of taking care of herself. At the pool, Verónica tells her friends that she plans to finish out the show and then leave Mermaid Cove. Verónica feels not only that Barb is using her scars to attract business but also that she needs time to figure out who she is, what she wants, and where she wants to go with her life. Verónica realizes that she has been silently enduring pain and following the wishes of others, and she finally wants to do things entirely for herself.