Chlorine Kisses

The pool deck at Miller's place was basically a social minefield, and Kayla was walking through it without a map. Friday night, eighth grade, and someone's parents were out of town. The recipe for disaster or legend, depending on who you asked.

"You good?" Marcus whispered from beside her. He'd been her lab partner since September and somehow her best friend by January.

"Just vibing," Kayla lied, her stomach doing actual backflips. She'd dyed her hair orange last weekend—bright, unapologetic orange—and every time someone's eyes landed on it, she felt like she was wearing a neon sign that said NOTICE ME. Which was exactly what she wanted, apparently, according to her therapist.

The real reason she'd come: Sarah Chen was in the deep end, laughing at something Tyler said, her wet hair slicked back like a mermaid who owned the place. Sarah, who Kayla had been lowkey obsessed with since the school year started.

"Yo, you gonna swim or just stand there looking like a traffic cone?" Tyler called out.

"Shut up, Tyler," someone else shot back.

"I'm good," Kayla said, but her voice cracked. Smooth.

"You need like, a vitamin or something," Marcus said, handing her a lukewarm soda. "You look pale."

"Thanks, Dr. Marcus."

Sarah pulled herself out of the pool, water streaming down her arms, and suddenly she was right there. "Hey. Nice hair."

Kayla's brain stopped working. "Thanks? I mean, yeah. Thanks."

"Seriously." Sarah smiled, and it wasn't mean. "It's bold. I like it."

And just like that, Kayla wasn't swimming in anxiety anymore. She was just... there. Present. Orange hair and all.

"Wanna come in?" Sarah asked. "The water's actually not gross."

Kayla looked at Marcus, who raised his eyebrows like, well, obviously.

"Yeah," Kayla said, and it didn't feel like a lie anymore. "Yeah, I'm coming."