Neculai chuckled at the way she said 'safer', and shook his head as they walked to that end. "The most I've managed is holding onto the side and kicking," he answered. "During class free time, I practice in the middle range of the pool, dunking down beside the wall and kicking off the floor to go back up. But the side of the pool is always within easy reach."
And he'd been teased for it, but Nick went along with it. There were a couple times where he'd dunked himself down and come up only to find the edge just out of his reach. His panicked splash had drawn the attention of the instructor, who had reached down to catch his flailing hand and place it on the edge once more.
"Is it true that you don't sink? I've swallowed my share of chlorinated water that would beg otherwise."