Cannonball Confessions

The backyard at Jake's place smelled like chlorine and coconut sunscreen. Perfect for the last pool party of eighth grade. I sat on the edge, feet in the water, clutching my **iphone** like a lifeline. Three unread texts from Maya. My stomach did that thing where it forgets how to stomach.

"Yo, Carter! Get in here!" Jake yelled, already doing laps like he'd been born in the water.

I hesitated. The **pool** looked bottomless from this angle. Plus, last time I went shirtless in public, Kevin made a comment about my "noodle arms" that still echoed in my head every time I reached for anything on a top shelf.

Across the yard, Liam launched a **baseball** toward Lucas. It was unfair how some guys just moved differently—loose, confident, like they'd already memorized the manual on being fifteen. I'd quit the team last year after spending more time on the bench than on the field. Coach said I had potential, but potential doesn't get you high-fived in the hallway.

Maya walked out the sliding glass door, **orange** bikini bright against the August evening. She held two sodas. My brain short-circuited.

"Hey," she said, sliding down next to me. Not Jake. Not Liam. Me.

"Hey."

"You gonna get in?"

"Maybe. Eventually. When the water's warmer."

She laughed, and it sounded better than any TikTok audio I'd ever heard. "It's literally eighty degrees, Carter."

"I run cold."

"You're such a dork." But she said it like it was a good thing.

From across the **pool**, Jake shouted, "Last one in buys snacks!"

Before I could overthink it, Maya stood up, grabbed my hand, and pulled. I barely had time to set down my **iphone** before we were mid-air, water crashing around us, chlorine everywhere. When I surfaced, she was already grinning.

"See? Not so bad."

I wiped water from my eyes. "Yeah. Actually."

The **baseball** game had stopped. Everyone was watching. Liam gave me a nod—not sarcastic, not mean. Just a nod. Like I was part of something.

"Carter," Maya said, quiet enough that the **orange** sunset was the only other thing that could hear. "I've been waiting all summer for you to get in the pool."

My heart did something genuinely concerning.

"Why?"

She didn't answer. Just splashed me and dove backward, leaving me floating there, noodle arms and all, finally understanding why Jake never wanted to get out.

My **iphone** sat safely on the deck, screen lighting up with three more texts from Maya. But for the first time all summer, I didn't feel like checking them.

Some things are better experienced than documented.