Diving In

Jordan clutched his towel like a security blanket, standing at the edge of the neighborhood pool party. At fourteen, he was the youngest one there, and it showed. Everyone else looked like they belonged in a music video — all confident poses and perfect hair.

"Yo Jay, you good?" Marcus asked, clapping him on the shoulder. Marcus was his oldest friend, practically family, and the only reason Jordan had even come.

"Yeah. Just vibing," Jordan lied, gesturing vaguely at the papaya fruit platter on the snack table like it was the most fascinating thing in the world. His stomach did backflips. He'd barely dipped his toes in the water, literally and figuratively.

The pool area was packed with upperclassmen from his school. People who didn't even know his name during the week were suddenly acting like his best friend. It was exhausting — this constant performance of trying to look chill when every nerve screamed that he didn't belong.

"That's Chase," Marcus whispered, nodding toward a senior doing cannonballs off the diving board. "Dude's been straight bull about his swimming times. Says he's gonna make state."

Jordan watched Chase splash into the water, sending waves rippling across the pool's surface. "He's actually pretty good though."

"That's not the point," Marcus said, rolling his eyes. "It's the energy. Always gotta be the biggest bear in the room, you know?"

Jordan understood exactly what he meant. Some people moved through the world like they owned every square inch of space, while others — like him — tried to take up as little room as possible.

Chase climbed out of the pool, water dripping from his trunks, and spotted them. "You guys gonna stand there all day or actually swim?"

The challenge hung in the humid air. Jordan's instinct was to mumble something about needing to get a snack, but then he caught Marcus's expression — that look that said, Don't leave me hanging, bro.

"Yeah," Jordan heard himself say, surprised by his own voice. "Yeah, I'm swimming."

He dropped his towel on the nearest chair. His heart hammered against his ribs as he approached the pool's edge. All eyes seemed to be on him, though he knew that was probably his anxiety talking. Still, he felt like he was about to dive into something much deeper than water.

He jumped.

The shock of cold water hit him like a reality check. When he broke the surface, gasping and laughing, everyone was still doing their own thing — Chase was bragging about his latest time, girls were taking selfies, some guy was complaining about the snacks being weak. Nobody was actually watching him.

Marcus swam over, grinning. "See? Not that deep."

"Yeah," Jordan said, treading water and finally feeling like he could breathe. "Not that deep at all."