Chlorine & Confidence

Maya stood by the edge of the pool clutching her phone like a lifeline, the July heat already making her t-shirt stick to her back. She'd spent forty-five minutes perfecting her makeup in the bathroom mirror, only to arrive and realize literally everyone else was already in the **water**.

"You coming in or what?" Jordan called from the pool, splashing water everywhere. Her supposed best friend had been weirdly distant all week, ever since Jordan had started sitting with the popular kids at lunch.

"In a minute," Maya lied, adjusting her dad's old baseball cap—her **hat**—lower over her forehead. It was her security blanket, a faded blue thing that made her feel slightly less exposed in situations like this. situations where she felt painfully, obviously out of place.

"Maya!" Jordan's voice sharpened. "You've been 'in a minute' since we got here. What is your deal lately?"

Before Maya could respond, someone cannonballed into the pool, sending a wave of chlorinated water right at her face. She scrambled back, but her phone—and her dignity—were already soaked.

Great. Just great.

She fumbled with her phone case, trying to dry it on her shorts, when she felt a presence beside her.

"That sucks," said a voice. Maya looked up to see Riley, the quiet girl from her history class, holding out a napkin. "Your phone, I mean. Also, Jordan's being kind of a jerk."

Maya blinked. "You saw that?"

"Everyone saw that," Riley said, shrugging. "Jordan's been on a power trip since she got invited to Tyler's party. It's exhausting." She pulled something from her pocket—a neon blue gummy shaped like a bear. "Want one? My mom's convinced I need more **vitamin** D because I'm 'always inside' which, fair."

Maya actually laughed. Then, without really thinking about it, she reached up and took off her hat, shaking out her hair.

"You know what?" Maya said, slipping off her flip-flops. "Screw it." She handed Riley her phone. "Watch this for me?"

"Go get 'em," Riley grinned.

Maya jumped into the pool without looking at Jordan, without overthinking, without the hat. The cool water shocked her system, but as she surfaced, shaking water from her eyes, she realized something important: she could sink or swim, but she didn't need Jordan to hold her up anymore.