Breathless

Chloe's palms were sweating so bad she could barely grip her phone. The text stared back at her: *Pool party @ Marcus's. U coming?*

She couldn't swim. Like, at all. But she also couldn't let anyone know, because apparently not knowing how to swim at sixteen was basically admitting you still slept with a nightlight. So instead she'd spent three years perfecting the art of Avoiding Water Situations.

"You going?" asked Riley, sliding into the cafeteria booth next to her. Riley had been her friend since kindergarten, back when Chloe's biggest secret was that she still wet the bed sometimes. Now the secrets were bigger.

"I guess," Chloe said, trying to sound casual. "Marcus is cool."

Marcus was more than cool. Marcus was the reason Chloe owned three bikinis she'd never actually worn.

"I'll teach you," Riley said quietly, like she was reading Chloe's mind.

Chloe's face burned. "I don't need—"

"You show up to every pool party and sit in the shallow end fully dressed. Everyone knows."

The words hit harder than they should've. Because what Chloe really heard was: everyone's been laughing at you.

Saturday arrived in a blur of overthinking. Chloe stood at Marcus's backyard gate, heart hammering. The pool glimmered blue and terrifying behind a crowd of people who were definitely going to judge her.

Marcus found her immediately. "Hey!" His smile was genuine. His hand was warm when he high-fived her. "Glad you came."

"I brought snacks," Chloe said, holding up a bag of chips like it was a peace offering.

Riley appeared in swim trunks, water dripping from their hair. "Ready?"

"Not really."

"I won't let anything happen to you," Riley said.

And somehow that was the scariest part — letting someone else hold her up.

They moved to the shallow end. Chloe's legs shook. The water lapped at her waist, then her chest. Panic rose like it always did, sharp and familiar.

"You're okay," Riley said steady. "I've got you."

Chloe's breathing came fast. She grabbed Riley's forearm.

"Bear down," Riley said, using their old middle school mascot phrase. "You got this."

Chloe closed her eyes. Focused on Riley's voice. Let herself float, just for a second.

She didn't drown.

Later, she sat on the pool edge with Marcus, both of them watching the sunset. Her palm rested on the concrete between them, inches from his.

"I almost didn't come," she admitted.

"Why?"

"Because I'm terrified of the water."

Marcus nodded. "Riley told me. They also said you came anyway."

Chloe looked over. Riley was across the pool, laughing with someone else, not needing to be the one holding Chloe up anymore.

"That's pretty brave," Marcus said.

Chloe's palm didn't sweat at all when Marcus finally, finally, reached over and took her hand.