Destiny Awaits

12. I'm Done.

"On the count of three." Demetri nodded his agreement.

"One..." they both counted.

"Two..." The two got into position.

"Three!"

With each stroke, the water slapped Ambrosia in the face while she swam as fast as she could. Demetri inched in front of her. Rose forced herself to swim faster, almost to the edge of the pool. From the corner of her eye, Ambrosia could see Demetri closing in on her. Rose swam with all her might. Just an inch more to go. She pushed her hand out in front as far as she could reach. Rose closed her eyes as all the water climbed in. At the cold touch of a hard surface, Ambrosia opened her eyes, seeing she had won. She jumped up in excitement as Demetri slowly swam up to the edge.

"I won!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yeah, well, I just let you win," Demetri immediately spoke.

"Pfft, no you didn't," Ambrosia quickly responded. Demetri shrugged.

"If you say so."

"I want a rematch!"

"I guess we could race again," Demetri sneered. Rose had no doubt there was nothing Demetri wanted more.

"And no letting me win." At Demetri's shrug, Ambrosia added, "I mean it!" While she got into position, she could see the slow roll of Demetri's eyes.

"Okay, okay."

"Ready?" Demetri nodded. "Okay, one... two... three!"

Rose swam as fast as she could without checking Demetri's whereabouts; knowing his location would only throw off her game. She could barely see as it was. Her arms soared over her head, disappearing underwater. She kicked her legs as hard and fast as she could, continuously turning her head from side to side to breathe. Ambrosia pushed with all her might, too focused on her goal: to beat Demetri. From her irrational speed, the water flung back in her face.

Not looking ahead of her, Ambrosia didn't realize how far she had come. Before long, she slammed her head into something hard. Rose stood up, rubbing her throbbing head. To her surprise, the edge lied in front of her. She looked to see Demetri was merely inches behind her. Realizing she had won, she smiled.

"I win," she casually mentioned.

"So?"

"So, you didn't let me win and I won."

With more attitude than Ambrosia would've liked, Demetri spoke, "Okay, fine. You won. I lost. Happy?"

"A little bit," she replied plainly, noticing the tension between them. Demetri groaned. Hoping to relieve some of the bitter air surrounding her, Rose asked, "How about we do something else?"

"What do you want to do?" The intimidating tone of his voice confirmed his irritation.

Goosebumps lining the curve of her spine, Ambrosia questioned, "What's wrong?" Demetri turned away with a huff.

"Nothing."

"Something's wrong," she persisted.

"I just don't like it when a girl beats me." Ambrosia recoiled in disgust.

"Don't you think that's a little sexist?"

"What do you mean?"

"A girl can't beat a guy? The guy must win every time? A girl can never win? That's a little sexist." With each word that left her, Ambrosia became unable to hide her bared fangs, which grew with each passing second. Her blood boiled, and her gaze grew cold.