Page 45

When I pass by, I shoulder check the guy on the outskirts, causing his drink to slosh all over me.

“The fuck, asshole?” I say in his face, shoving him so hard he flies into the person behind him, setting off a domino effect. The person at the end of the line? Lisann. And she goes sprawling into the water with a screech that echoes throughout the natatorium.

Now I can leave.

Except before I can so much as turn, I’m pushed by the group, then yanked forward as everyone tries to keep their balance. The guy I shoved falls on his ass, tripping me, and I go flying over him into the pool.

Oh shit!

Several hands hit me, a leg, who knows what other body parts as the sea of limbs I land in thrashes. It’s not enough to keep me afloat and I start to sink. Immediately. I attempt to wave my arms around but they might as well be spaghetti noodles—they’re doing absolutely nothing! Fuck, fuck, fuck! I’m gonna drown. I’m gonna fucking drown. I’m sure as shit not gonna make a fool of myself by splashing around in front of everybody, fighting for air. I’d rather die at the bottom of the pool than give Guy one more thing to make fun of me about.

I make my body go limp, and because my feet are as heavy as my damn hands apparently, I head straight for the bottom.

Had to be the deep part, didn’t it?

I’ve done a lot of breath training, so I know exactly how long I’ve got. One minute and fifty-eight seconds, then I’m out. That’s it. In less than two minutes I’m gonna start the process of dying.

My chest already feels like it’s caving in but at least it’s quiet down here, nothing to worry about, no one to look out for. Maybe I should just open my mouth and get it over with. It’d be a more peaceful death than anything else I’ve imagined for myself. It’s just me. Nobody else—

Who the fuck is that? Someone’s swimming right at me. It’s blurry but there’s definitely someone coming down here, their hands together above their head like they dove.

Other than my eyes tracking them, I don’t move a single muscle. Maybe they’ll think I’m playing a game and leave me alone.

Only twenty-eight seconds to go.

The closer the person gets, the more I can make out. They have long blonde hair. And a brown bikini that wraps around—

It better not be Kota. I’ll fake my own death right now.

She comes right up to me and grabs my shirt.

Fucking damn it. It is Kota.

Tina’s analogy goes through my mind. I may be a drowning man but I’m not gonna pull her down with me. I already fucking decided that.

I shake my head at Stepsis and knock her hands away.

No.

She shakes hers right back before trying again.

I growl at her, inadvertently releasing two small bubbles from between my lips. I point at the bubbles racing for the top. That’s at least six seconds gone right there.

When she tries a third time, I use that same raised hand to block hers.

Stop, damn it.

Kota latches on to the sides of my face and kisses me. Well, not kisses exactly. Her lips are sealed over mine, but she’s blowing air into my mouth.

The last thing I’m thinking about is breathing. There’s no one around and our mouths are touching. If I’m about to die, I might as well make it worth it.

I grasp her head with both hands, holding her to me as I ram my tongue into her mouth.

Kota stiffens but doesn’t pull away.

She could bite my tongue off. It’s as far into her mouth as I can reach.

She could hit me again and leave me here to suffocate. I’ve given her several, if not more, reasons to.