Bear Trap at the Pool

The orange swimsuit had seemed like a good idea at the store. Bold, confident, definitely not something my old self would wear. But standing here at the first day of summer swim camp, clutching my spinach smoothie like a shield, I felt ridiculous.

Everyone else looked like they'd been born in water. Girls diving flawlessly, guys showing off their abs. Meanwhile, I was just hoping my newly acquired "healthy lifestyle" wouldn't result in a green-teeth situation mid-conversation.

"Nice suit," said a guy with messy brown hair and a smile that actually reached his eyes. "I'm Marcus."

"Maya," I managed, before my brain decided to make it weird. "I mean, I'm Maya. Obviously. That's my name. I didn't just maya myself into existence." I internally groaned. Why was I like this?

Marcus laughed. Actually laughed. "Cool. You're on the Bears team too, by the way. Our mascot is literally a bear. It's kind of intense."

The Bears. Because of course my new team had to be represented by an apex predator.

Coach Hansen blew her whistle. "Alright Bears! First up - the 200 meter freestyle. Let's see what you've got!"

I positioned myself at the pool's edge, heart pounding. The water looked peaceful from far away, but up close, it was just chaos waiting to happen.

"GO!" I dove in.

Water filled my ears, muffling everything. I focused on my strokes, on not embarrassing myself completely. I was actually doing okay until I turned my head and somehow got water directly up my nose. I surfaced, sputtering dramatically like a dying fish.

Marcus was at the wall, already finished. "You good?"

"Never better," I wheezed. "Just experiencing water in ways evolution never intended."

He grinned. "You know what you need?"

"Dignity? A time machine?"

"No." He dug into his bag. "My sister packed me these." He held out an orange. "Like, actual fruit. She's going through a health phase. I was gonna compost them."

"You were gonna compost FRUIT?" I asked, genuinely concerned.

"Shut up, do you want it or not?"

I took it. It was the most random act of kindness I'd ever experienced.

"Thanks. Also, please tell me I don't have anything in my teeth. I had a spinach smoothie earlier and I've been paranoid about it."

Marcus checked. "You're good. But now I'm worried about my own teeth. I had cereal this morning and I didn't exactly inspect after."

"A true friend would tell me if I had cereal in my teeth right now," I said.

"A true friend would've stopped you from buying that orange swimsuit," he shot back, but he was smiling.

I laughed so hard I almost dropped my orange.

Maybe summer camp wouldn't be so bad after all. Maybe the orange suit wasn't a mistake. Maybe I'd even make a actual friend, someone who appreciated terrible jokes and didn't judge me for being socially awkward.

Or maybe I'd just survive the week with minimal permanent embarrassment. Either way, I'd take it.