It's a Mixed Thing (Original)

Chapter 9: Teach Me

Yesenia:

"Alejandro I can't!" I shrieked.

He splashed my butt with water causing me to wince it was so cold. He swam towards me. Wrapping his arms around me he pulled me against him. "C'mon at least try."

It's a school night and Alejandro was up for sneaking out tonight but instead of going anywhere he said he's going to help teach me how to swim. I wasn't planning on sleeping. My late homework can wait until morning. I would rather swim. Now I think I'm changing my mind.

I failed my drug test again. When I came home on Monday Elle told me I had one more chance to get myself together or I'll be gone. I've been listening to Alejandro and not smoking so I should be in the clear this week.

I've been chilling back with DLBK and it's been the usually shoplifting. I have to say it felt good to be bad again but apart of me knows it isn't right. I didn't want to shoplift at first but I didn't want to have to deal with Kevin. As good as he may seem sometimes. He's not. He's an evil prick.

I don't have another option. I have to do it or suffer consequences.

My feet barely touched the concrete at the bottom of the pool. The hairs at the back of my neck standing up. My body alarmed now that he was moving just a little to deep end.

I gripped his wrists tightly. Scared that he would let me go. I hate being so vulnerable in front of people and showing them my weakness. I am just really scared of drowning. The darkness outside doesn't help me at all.

"Yesi. Relax." Alejandro whispered softly in my ear. Calming my nerves a little. I have trust issues. I don't know if he will let go or not.

"I don't know if I can trust you." I said. My voice shaky.

Alejandro is quiet. The only sounds I hear are his light breathing, the sounds of the water slapping against each other and crickets.

Alejandro pulls his arms away from my tight grip. My heart drops as I feel myself being let go and I begin to panic as I can barely hold myself up as I keep going down into the water.

"Alejandro please!" I beg for his help. Tears prickling my eyes and as much as I try to force them back I can't. The pressure I feel right now is too strong. I swallowed water as I struggled to keep myself up.

Just when I thought I was going to go under water for the fourth time, I felt his strong hands grip my waist tightly and he pulled me up. My legs instantly wrapping around his waist and my arms wrapped around his neck. I clung on to him for dear life. I struggled to breath as I coughed. I just didn't know what happened I just broke down in choke sobs. I've been holding back my tears for so long when they finally broke free I couldn't stop crying. I haven't cried in so long that I just felt everything that has been eating at me thrown in my face at once.

Alejandro set me down on the edge on the stone surrounding the pool. His body in-between my legs. My face buried in the crook of his neck. He rubbed my back gently and smoothly up and down as I cried.

"You're drowning Yesi. All the shit that you do is going to go down with you and nobody is going to be there to help you up. You're going to be struggling and end up dead for the shit you do. You have to learn how to trust the people who are willing to help you up. Not the people that are going to watch you drown and never look back."

His words made me cry harder because they are so true. I'm out here stealing with the same people who didn't even come see me once in Juvie. When I get caught they wouldn't be behind me.

"Nobody gives a shit about me. Not even my sister sometimes. I'm all by myself. You don't know what the fuck I been through." I almost yelled through choked sobs.