Spanish Accent (The Accents #2)

Drown

Water was everywhere. It filled my mouth, nose, and ears, prevented me from opening my eyes and breathing. I thrashed and kicked, desperately trying to figure out where down ended and up began. There was no use, though, I couldn't distinguish the bottom from the surface. I felt as if I'd spent an hour on a carousel and done five somersaults afterwards. Panic like I've never known before took a hold of my senses. My mind disconnected from my body, leaving me struggling, wiggling, drowning...

A hand grabbed my waist and I felt myself floating. A second later, my head broke the surface and I sucked in a breath. Water dripped from my hair, running down my face and invading my nostrils. I waved my arms, desperately trying to keep my head above the surface, choking and coughing.

The last, tiny part of my brain that somehow remained conscious noted that I was being moved. Someone propped me up onto the edge, lifting my body out of the water completely. Once I could feel the steady land beneath my hands, I gathered my strength and rolled onto my back. I was still breathing heavily, coughing occasionally. Tipping my head back against the hard tiles, I let my eyelids drop and covered my eyes with my arm.

"Sierra?" A familiar voice sounded somewhere to my left but I didn't bother to acknowledge it.

"Chica?" A hand landed on my shoulder. "Do I need to give you the kiss of life?"

Okay, that gained my attention.

"Try and you'll be the one who drowns in this damn swimming pool." I said without removing the arm resting across my face.

"There she is." Amusement laced his voice.

Well, good to know at least one of us found this situation amusing.

I waited until my breathing evened out and my heartbeat went back to normal. Deciding it was the highest time to come back to the living, I slowly removed my arm and blinked my eyes open. They locked with the goddamned ones the color of the water I've nearly drowned it. A hint of amusement still glimmered in them, but apart from that, they were serious, worried even. Some small, twisted part of me relished in the feeling of seeing him this way. At least I knew he feared, too. Not at least as much as I, though.

"What." I paused, swallowing heavily. "The fuck is wrong with you?" I asked him quietly.

He brought his hands up in surrender but a flicker of guilt passed his eyes.

"Hey. I didn't know you couldn't swim." He defends himself.

"And it didn't cross your mind to ask before throwing yourself at me and attempting a murder?"

"I wasn't attempting a murd-"

"Shut up." I snapped, sitting up slowly. Max made an attempt to stop me but I waved him off and pushed myself into a sitting position myself. "Just shut up."

"What I was trying to say was -"

"Shut up!" I yelled so loudly I was sure my voice could be heard at the neighbors. The force of my protest startled even Max, who dropped his hands and leaned back a little.

I know I should feel bad for snapping, but I didn't. If anything, it made me feel lighter, helped lose some of the weight I've been carrying on my shoulders for some time now. I haven't lost my patience in so long. It felt good to finally do it.

Besides, Max constantly tormented me with his want to see the real me. Well, this was the real me. Now he was going to have to deal with it, willingly or not.

"You could have killed me." I continued in a calmer voice. "I could have drowned."

"I would have never -"