Bear Floatie & Papaya Dreams

Chloe's summer was supposed to be epic. Instead, she was stuck at her cousin's pool party wearing a ridiculous neon bear floatie that her aunt thought was "so cute" for sixteen-year-olds. It was not cute. It was a social death sentence.

She clutched her iPhone like a lifeline, doomscrolling through Instagram to avoid eye contact with the popular kids from school. Why did Jason have to be here? The same Jason she'd had a crush on since seventh grade, currently laughing with his friends by the actual deep end, not the baby pool where her aunt had deposited her.

"Try this papaya, Chlo!" Her cousin Maya waved a bright orange fruit slice in her face. "It's literally fire."

Chloe reluctantly took a bite. Sweet. Weirdly musky. Not terrible, but definitely not something she'd choose. Just like this party.

"You're not gonna live in the bear floatie all day, right?" Maya teased. "Jason's looking over here, by the way."

Chloe's face burned. She was literally trapped in a neon bear while Jason—a boy who possibly existed—was watching her existential crisis unfold.

Something in her snapped. Maybe it was the papaya talking. She pushed herself out of the floatie, leaving the bear behind like a ridiculous neon cocoon. Her heart hammered as she started walking toward the real pool.

Running, actually.

She cannonballed into the deep end, surfacing to Jason's amused grin. "Nice escape from the bear."

"Shut up," she splashed water at him, grinning despite herself.

Maybe this summer wouldn't be so bad after all. Sometimes you had to abandon the bear floatie and just jump in.