Strings Attached

Chapter Seven

Shit, stop it with the lust, Christina! I scolded myself as I took off my shirt and my shorts.

I immediately felt self-conscious as I stared at my body. I was wearing my yellow swimsuit, which I had always thought looked good in me, but compared to Theodore's body, I looked like an oompa loompa in a swimsuit.

"Hurry up, Christina!" exclaimed Brianna as she happily danced around the pool.

I sighed and jumped inside the pool. I loved the feeling of being underwater. I did not like to swim, but having my head underwater was actually good. I felt powerless and powerful at the same time. I knew I had control over myself; I knew I could decide when to get my head out of the water, but I also knew that not doing so could kill me.

I could feel the rush as I opened my eyes and saw only blue around me. I knew I was not supposed to open my eyes while underwater, but I just could not help myself. I loved to see only blue water around me. I loved to feel the rush it brought me.

I had never been a fan of water, but I simply loved how being underwater made me feel. I could feel my lungs slowly asking me for air, and I loved to know that I could give it to them whenever I wanted to.

I got my head out of the water and smiled as I saw Brianna and Mom playing around the pool. Theodore walked towards me and grinned.

"How's the water?" he casually asked.

"Refreshing," I said, smiling.

"I'm glad it feels that way to you," he said.

"Why? How does it feel to you?" I asked him, curious.

"Dangerous," he replied, shrugging. "No matter how alive water can make you feel, it could still kill you if you let your guard down."

I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm just speaking the truth," he said, sighing. "Water, though refreshing and fun, could also be someone's worst nightmare. One should never underestimate its power."

I raised one of my eyebrows. "I've never underestimated its power," I said. "I do acknowledge that water could kill me, but that's only if I allow it to. If I'm alert all the time, then water isn't going to harm me. Have you thought about that?"

Theodore smiled. "Not really, but now I will." He gave me a wry smile and submerged his head, making me roll my eyes.

"Tina! Let's have a race!" exclaimed Brianna as she positioned herself near the pool's border.

"Okay!" I exclaimed, swimming towards her. "Whoever wins gets the bed for a week!"

Brianna frowned. "No way!"

"Are you afraid of losing, sis?" I asked, mocking innocence.

"I'm not," she said, puffing up her chest as if to prove her point.

If there was something that Brianna and I had in common, that would be our competitive nature. We could not stand for others to tell us that they could beat us up, even if they could, which was exactly why Brianna could not stand to think about losing the race.

"It's a deal," Brianna said, extending her hand for me to shake it.

"Deal," I said, shaking it with a smile on my face.

***

After winning the race, Brianna begged me to do another one, claiming that she had not been ready. I agreed only because I knew I would win again, and I had. Brianna had been disappointed, but she had finally gotten over her defeat and decided to race Mom instead.