Beneath the Brim

Maya pulled her baseball cap lower, the brim shielding her face like armor. The pool party raged around her—splash fights, laughter, and the bass of a playlist that seemed designed to drown out her thoughts.

Her iPhone buzzed in her pocket. Probably the group chat. The one where everyone had been posting stories for two hours except her. #FOMO was real, even when you were literally AT the party.

"Maya! Get in here!" Jake yelled from the deep end. He'd been her crush since seventh grade, back when he still wore those ridiculous basketball shorts to school. Now he was shirtless, wet, and completely in his element.

She clutched her orange soda like a lifeline. "Maybe later!"

"You've been saying that for an hour," Chloe called out, flipping her wet hair. Chloe, who effortlessly floated between friend groups, whose Instagram stories looked like movie montages. How did she do it? How did anyone just... exist without overthinking every breath?

Maya's phone lit up. New notification. Her heart raced.

jake_sterling: @maya_hernandez u coming in or what??

Her fingers hovered over the screen. This was it. The moment to be cool. To say something witty and casual.

She typed: "maybe in a bit lol"

Deleted.

Typed: "yeah soon"

Deleted.

She looked up. Jake was watching her, waiting. The pool water shimmered blue-green in the late afternoon light. The hat felt ridiculous suddenly—like she was wearing her insecurity on her head.

Maya stood up. Set down her orange soda. Took off the hat.

Her hair poofed up, frizzy and imperfect from being compressed all afternoon. Whatever.

She cannonballed into the pool.

The water engulfed her, cool and shocking. For three seconds, everything was muffled and weightless. No overthinking. No performance. Just water.

She surfaced, gasping, wiping water from her eyes. Jake was grinning. Chloe was laughing. Someone tossed her a pool noodle.

"Finally!" Jake splashed her.

Maya splashed back. For the first time all night, she wasn't watching herself from the outside. She was just... there.

Her phone sat ignored on the table. The group chat could wait.

Some things were better unphotographed.