Diving In

The hat was supposed to be my armor. A vintage snapback pulled low enough to hide my eyes, my nervousness, the fact that I'd spent forty-five minutes psyching myself up just to walk through Tyler's front gate.

"Yo, Marcus! Finally!" Tyler yelled from the pool, splashing water like he owned the place. Which, technically, his parents did. Their backyard was basically a water park with better snacks.

I tugged the hat brim lower. "Yeah, sorry. Had to... help my mom with something." Total lie. I'd been staring at my ceiling, overthinking whether to even come. Pool parties weren't exactly my scene—too many chances to look uncool, to say the wrong thing, to be the guy sitting awkwardly while everyone else vibed.

That's when I saw her.

Chloe was climbing out of the pool, water dripping down her arms, laughing at something Jenna said. She brushed a wet strand of hair behind her ear, and my stomach did that thing where it forgets how to be an organ.

"Marcus!" She waved. "You made it!"

"Yeah." My voice came out weird. "Hey."

My palm was sweating against the water bottle I'd been clutching like a lifeline. Great. Now I'd have handshake sweat. If I even got close enough to shake hands, which I wouldn't, because that would be weird.

"Get in already!" Tyler called. "Water's perfect!"

I froze. Remove the hat? Everyone would see my hair (which was definitely not cooperating today). But keep it on? I'd be the weird dry kid fully dressed at a pool party.

Chloe walked over, dripping wet, grinning like she knew exactly what I was thinking. "First time at one of Tyler's parties?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Only because you're still wearing shoes." She nodded at my Vans. "And you look like you're mentally calculating exit strategies."

I laughed despite myself. "Maybe."

"The water's not gonna judge you, Marcus." She held out her hand. "I promise."

I looked at her palm—open, waiting, no pressure. Just an invitation.

Something shifted. Maybe it was her easy confidence. Maybe it was realizing I'd been running from nothing all along. I handed her my water bottle, peeled off my snapback, and jumped in fully clothed.

The shock of cold water hit like electricity. When I surfaced, sopping wet and grinning like an idiot, Chloe was laughing.

"See?" she said. "Not so scary."

And maybe it was the water distorting everything, but for the first time all night, I actually believed her.