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“What? What were you doing?”

“It’s just… I thought… It was loud.”

“What was? Your music?”

“The world.”

I did that and got the same result but it was an accident. Kota purposely sank to the bottom of her pool and sat there. I’ve seen Kota swim, so I know she can. She could’ve just swam and found silence, too. So why didn’t she?

Tamping down my anger a fraction, I ask, “What were you trying to do? Really.”

Her laugh is hollow. “What were you? You pushed me away even though you can’t swim.”

I can’t answer why I didn’t want her to save me, not to myself and definitely not to her.

I decide to argue instead. “I can swim.”

“Why didn’t you last weekend?”

“I was high. My motor skills were impaired.”

“You couldn’t have been that high. You only took one hit.”

I frown. “How would you know that?”

She takes her time messing with her ponytail before saying, “Tina told me.”

“Tina said you two don’t talk.”

Treading water, Kota bites her bottom lip but doesn’t say a word.

So she had her eye on me at her party. Maybe the entire time. Why?

“Why don’t you swim with me right now?”

“Because I don’t want to fucking swim right now.”

“Then why are you in the pool?”

“It wasn’t intentional.” It was instinctual. I had to save Kota. At least that’s what my mind said. My body said something completely different. Fucker.

She glances past me.

“You took your phone out of your pocket.”

“It’s brand new. I didn’t want to ruin another one.”

“Just swim to me. That’s all you have to do.”

“I don’t have to do anything except get out.”

I’m about to do just that when she says, “Swim to me and I’ll let you kiss me.”

Keeping one hand on the edge, I spin around to study my stepsister as well as the distance between us.

“You’re lying.”

“You’ll never know unless you tr—”