Rich Cabbage
I was afraid of water. But my best friend, Elara Vance, and my boyfriend, Everett Langley, were both competitive swimmers.
Whenever they got together, they never ran out of things to talk about. I could never get a word in.
The day Everett won the state swimming championship, I forced myself to attend the pool party to celebrate his victory, even though I was terrified of the water.
But Elara suddenly grabbed my ankle and dragged me toward the deep end. "Tessa, you've been afraid of water for years. Today, I'm going to help you get over it."
Everett let out a helpless laugh. "She's been afraid of water since she was a kid. Go easy on her."
I thrashed desperately, trying to grab the side of the pool, but Elara grabbed me and shoved my head underwater.
"Don't be scared, Tessa. This is exposure therapy. A few more gulps, and you'll be cured."
My lungs burned as I choked on the water. I reached desperately for Everett.
He ignored my pleas and gently coaxed me, "I'm the state swimming champion, and you're my girlfriend, but you're too scared to even get in the water. How embarrassing would that be if people found out? Just hang in there. Once you learn, you'll be fine."
Elara shoved me underwater again, laughing. "Look at her kicking! This is hilarious. Film this!"
Everett pulled out his phone and pointed the camera at me as I thrashed in the water. "Let's save this. We can watch it together once you learn how to swim."
The two of them kept laughing and fooling around.
By then, I had already lost consciousness and was slowly sinking beneath the water.