Dead at the Deep End

I felt like a zombie. Three days of finals, two hours of sleep, and now I was standing at Tyler's pool party holding a red Solo cup I had no intention of drinking from. The Friday night lights of suburbia glimmered off the water, and somewhere, someone's phone was blasting that same song that played at every party since September.

"Hey, Dead Eyes."

I turned. Cole. The bull of North High, built like a brick wall and twice as subtle. He'd been making my life miserable since I accidentally tripped him during gym soccer freshman year. His friends laughed like they were getting paid.

"Cole," I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. "Nice party."

"Too bad you're too much of a loser to actually get in the pool." He smirked. "What's the matter? Can't swim?"

The old anger flared. My therapist said I needed to pick my battles. My dad said never let anyone push you around. My exhausted brain said I should've stayed home playing Minecraft.

Then Maya appeared beside me, smelling like coconut sunscreen and chaos. "He's not a loser, Cole. He's tired. Unlike some people, he actually studies."

Cole's face went red. "Whatever, Maya. I wasn't talking to you."

"You're talking now though, aren't you?" She grabbed my hand. "Come on, let's get in before I lose my buzz. And you"—she pointed at Cole—"maybe work on your personality instead of your bench press."

We walked to the pool's edge. The water looked black and endless, reflecting the string lights above.

"You didn't have to do that," I said.

"Yes I did." Maya squeezed my hand. "Cole's all bark. Plus, you've been zombie-walking through AP Chem all week. You need to live a little."

She pulled me in.

The shock of cold water woke something in me. I surfaced, sputtering, to find Maya grinning. Cole watched from the edge, looking suddenly small and very alone.

"See?" Maya said. "Not a zombie anymore."

Maybe she was right. Maybe tomorrow I'd go back to being exhausted, stressed, and barely holding it together. But right now, in this pool with this girl who actually saw me, I felt something I hadn't felt in weeks.

Alive.