Blue Screen Summer

Maya's new bathing suit was supposed to be her armor. Instead it felt like a target. She stood at the edge of the pool, clutching her towel like a lifeline, while everyone else splashed and screamed like they'd been doing this since birth.

"No, you're not hiding in the bathroom all party," said Kai, materializing beside her with a smirk. "I can literally see you overthinking from across the yard."

"You don't understand," Maya whispered, gesturing vaguely at the chaos. "This is their natural habitat. I'm basically a fish out of water here."

Kai laughed. "First of all, mixed metaphor much? Second, you're literally in your element. You're on the swim team, Maya. You could beat half these people in a race blindfolded."

"That's different," she protested, but she was already relaxing. Kai had this way of making her forget she was supposed to be anxious. "This is social swimming. There's a difference."

"Social swimming isn't a thing," he said, then suddenly his eyes went wide. "Maya—your phone."

Her iphone, which she'd tucked into her bikini strap like an idiot, was already doing a slow slide toward the pool. Time moved in slow motion. She lunged for it—too late. *Splash.*

For a second, everything stopped. Then Kai was already jumping in, fully clothed, diving beneath the surface. The water erupted as he surfaced, her phone clutched triumphantly in one hand.

"You didn't," she said, but she was already laughing.

"I absolutely did," he said, shaking water everywhere like some majestic wet dog. "Rice bag. My sister swears by it. We'll save your social life yet."

"You didn't have to—you're soaked."

"Eh," Kai said, grinning as he rung out his shirt. "Worth it. Besides, now we match."

Maya looked at his soaked clothes, then down at her towel-wrapped self. Something in her chest did this weird fluttery thing. "You're ridiculous," she said, but she was smiling now, really smiling, for the first time all afternoon.

"And you're hiding in the bathroom less than you planned," he pointed out. "I'd call that a win."

Maybe the pool wasn't so scary after all. Maybe she didn't need armor. Maybe she just needed a friend who would jump in after her mistakes, literally.

"Race you to the deep end?" she found herself saying.

Kai's grin widened. "You're on. But warning—I've been known to cheat."

"In your dreams, Martinez."

She dropped her towel. In with both feet.