Doggy Paddle and Vitamin Gummies

The chlorine hit my nose before I even saw the pool. Jake's end-of-summer bash. Everyone who's anyone was gonna be there, including Maya, who I'd been lowkey obsessing over since June.

I wasn't exactly what you'd call "aquatically gifted." My doggy paddle was tragic, and my breaststroke looked like a distressed frog. But Jake's family had this massive above-ground pool, and I'd been psyching myself up for weeks.

"You got this," I muttered, popping a vitamin C gummy from my pocket. My mom swore they boosted immune system, but I was mostly hoping they'd boost my confidence.

Then I saw Chaz.

Chaz Miller was the self-appointed "bull" of sophomore year—loud, aggressive, and incapable of reading a room. He was currently holding court on the pool deck, surrounded by his usual entourage of hyenas.

"Yo, watch this!" Chaz shouted, grabbing poor Mr. Henderson's golden retriever, Buster, who'd been minding his own business under the snack table.

Before anyone could process what was happening, Chaz heaved the confused dog into the deep end.

Panic erupted. Girls screamed. Guys laughed. Buster paddled furiously toward the ladder, looking betrayed.

Something in my brain short-circuited. Maybe it was the vitamin kicking in, or maybe I just couldn't watch Chaz win again. I launched myself off the deck—fully clothed, phone in pocket—and cannonballed into the pool.

The world went blue and bubbly. I surged upward, breaking the surface like a resurfacing submarine, and grabbed Buster's collar.

"I gotcha, buddy," I sputtered.

We reached the ladder together. I hauled myself out, drenched and dignity-free, with a shivering golden retriever shaking pool water all over my favorite sneakers.

Dead silence.

Then Maya started clapping. Slow at first, then picking up speed. "That was actually so badass," she said, grinning at me.

By the end of the party, I was the guy who saved the dog. Chaz was the guy everyone was side-eyeing. And Maya sat next to me on the patio bench, sharing her towel.

"So," she said, "you always this heroic, or was today special?"

I shrugged, squeezing water from my shirt. "Mostly just really like dogs. Also, I think those vitamin gummies are finally kicking in."

She laughed. I caught Chaz glaring from across the yard and smiled back. Sometimes the biggest bullies are just the ones who never learned to swim.