Dead Dog Summer

The pool party at Ashley's house was supposed to be lit. Instead, I was floating in the shallow end like a literal zombie, exhausted from three days of finals week and my parents' endless fighting. My skin had that pruny thing going on, and I'd been swimming laps for an hour to avoid conversation.

"Marcus, you good?" Tyler called from the diving board. He was doing that thing where he tried to flex while jumping in the water. Cringe.

"All good," I lied, watching lightning flicker across the distant sky. The storm was still miles away, but the air felt electric.

That's when I heard it - barking from behind the fence. A chocolate lab had squeezed through a gap and was making a beeline for the pool, tail wagging like it had just won the lottery.

"No, wait!" someone screamed, but the dog launched itself into the water with a joyful splash that drenched half the party.

I swam over as it paddled toward me, tongue out, eyes bright with pure happiness. It was like looking at a creature from another planet - one where everything wasn't about AP classes and college apps and who was dating who.

"Hey buddy," I said, scratching behind its ears. The dog leaned into my touch like we'd known each other forever.

"That's Buster," a voice said. I looked up to see this girl from my English class standing there, wet hair slicked back, smiling. "He escapes sometimes. Thanks for not freaking out."

"No problem," I said, and for the first time all night, I actually meant it.

Thunder rumbled closer. The party was moving inside, but I stayed there with the dog and the girl, talking about everything and nothing while lightning painted the sky in flashes of purple and white. I wasn't thinking about my GPA or my parents or the crushing weight of expectations that made me feel dead inside.

Sometimes it takes a random dog crashing a pool party to remember what it feels like to be alive.