I’m sitting at the bottom of the pool; blowing bubbles and watching them float lazily up to the surface of the water. I blow them one by one, and admire the perfect round sphere of air straining to the surface to join other air molecules in their flight in and out of people’s noses.

I look beyond the surface of the water and see the sky. The stars, normally constant pinpricks in a vast, unending space, look wavery and fragile from underneath the water. Their frailty makes them more beautiful than ever, and I am content to sit here and just stare at the stars. I feel as if all the problems of the world are just melting away, and I feel a great peace. Here at the bottom of the pool there's no sounds, no feelings except for the water pressing against you from all sides.

I have run out of air, and my lungs are burning. I want to stay underwater for a few more minutes, to revel in the peace, but my lungs protest, sending signals to my brain, saying "Open up this mouth and let some air in!" My natural instinct to breathe takes over, and I slowly float up to the surface, reluctantly ending my peaceful escape.

As I break through the surface my mouth opens and I gulp in the air, as if I haven’t breathed properly in ages. I look around slowly. Almost everybody else has left, and I feel alone. The coach looks at me and gestures, telling me to get out. I swim over to the side and pull my body out of the water and on to the deck. Walking slowly to my towel, I wave at a few of my friends as they leave.

I walk out to my dad’s car and get in without saying a word. He starts the car and begins to drive out of the parking lot.

"How was your day?" He asks conversationally.

"Fine." I say.

"That’s good." He responds. "I have a meeting tonight, so make yourself dinner."

"Ok." I say as I sink farther into the seat.

Were at my house now, and I get out of the car. My dad drives away, and I walk inside. MY brother is at the table working on his math. He looks up and says "Hey." And then goes back to his work. I go upstairs and into the bathroom. I step into the shower and turn it on. The warm water runs out of the faucet and warms me, from the outside in. I take off my bathing suit, and I'm naked now. The water feels sensual against my skin, and I take my shampoo and start to wash the chlorine off my hair. The soap runs down my back, and I close my eyes. I feel the exhaustion from the entire day move throughout my body, and I want to sleep right there. I finish rinsing, then turn off the water and step out of the shower. The steam has covered the mirrors in vapor, and I resist the urge to draw smiley faces on them.

I walk into my room and pull on my sweats and a cami-the perfect combination between pretty and laid back. I smile at my reflection and open my history book. I want to study, but the lure of the bed is too much, and I close my book and succumb to the temptation.

As I lay on the bed, I feel my spine relax and mold into the mattress. This feeling is akin to bliss. The light is off now, but the fatigue I felt only moments before has entirely disappeared. My eyes are wide open, and I can see every shadow in the room. I turn on the radio and close my eyes, trying to float off to blissful sleep. I turn off the radio, its too distracting, and focus on my breathing. In, out, in, out.

I'm almost asleep when I hear a voice. It’s my mother, yelling at my father once again. I sigh and turn over, putting the pillow over my head. It looks like I won’t be getting any sleep tonight.