Bull Sharks & Broken Hearts

The chlorine smell hit Maya before she even pushed through the community center doors. Friday night swim practice—her escape from the drama that had become sophomore year.

"Maya! Wait up!" It was Leo, faster in the water than on land, his wet hair leaving droplets everywhere. "Did you hear about Jake?"

She groaned. Jake had been her crush since seventh grade, until last week when he'd started flirting with Sarah. "No. And I don't want to."

"Someone saw him spying on Sarah's Instagram from his mom's account," Leo said, barely suppressing a laugh. "He's trying to figure out who she's texting."

Maya rolled her eyes. "That's so pathetic."

But secretly, a tiny part of her wished someone would spy on her like that. Not that she'd ever admit it. Her phone had been dead silent since Jake dropped her for Sarah—and for what? Sarah's swimming times weren't even that good.

Coach Miller's whistle cut through her thoughts. "Last 500 free, then you're free. Don't make me regret letting you guys stay late."

The water was perfect—cool and familiar. Maya fell into her rhythm, stroke-breathe-stroke-breathe, everything else fading away. This was the one place she didn't have to think about who was dating who, or why her Instagram followers had dropped, or how her mom kept asking if she was "doing okay" with that worried crease between her eyebrows.

Three laps in, something brushed her leg. She froze, treading water as her heart jumped. "Guys?"

"What?" Leo called from the other end of the pool.

"There's something in here with me."

Leo laughed. "It's probably just a hair tie. You're being such a—"

A dark shape glided beneath her, unmistakably solid and moving against the current.

"—bull,"

Maya finished for him, scrambling backward. "Leo, get out. NOW."

He swam over, squinting. "You're being dramatic. There's nothing in—"

The dorsal fin broke the surface. Not a hair tie. Not a toy.

"BULL SHARK!" Leo screamed, practically walking on water getting to the edge. "MAYA, SWIM!"

They both launched themselves toward the pool deck, adrenaline overriding technique, climbing out with zero grace. Behind them, the supposed shark resolved into a very confused looking rubber fin on a string, attached to the filtration system.

Coach Miller stood on the deck, arms crossed, trying not to smile. "April Fool's was last month, you drama queens. But nice sprint finish."

Maya's face burned as Leo collapsed beside her, laughing so hard he was wheezing. "I—literally—thought—I was—gonna—die!"

"You're so full of bull," she said, but she was laughing too. And for the first time in weeks, she wasn't thinking about Jake, or Sarah, or any of it.

"Hey," Leo said later, as they gathered their stuff. "Want to grab food? My treat. For, you know, abandoning you to the 'shark.'"

Maya smiled. Some things were better than being spied on. "Yeah. Let's go."