Fox at the Pool Party

The chlorine smell hit me before I even stepped onto the patio. Jessica's annual end-of-summer rager. The invitation said "pool party" but we all knew it was really about who was dating who, who showed up with who, and who awkwardly stood by the snack table pretending to check their phone.

I'd taken my extra-strength vitamin D supplement that morning — Mom insisted it would help with my "mood" whatever that meant. Standing here in my one-piece while everyone else rocked bikinis and board shorts, I felt like I'd swallowed a whole bottle of insecurity instead.

Then I saw him. The guy from my AP Bio class who always sat in the back, hoodie up, headphones on. What was his name? Finn? He was actually in the pool, which was surprising enough, but then I noticed — he wasn't swimming. He was staring at something in the bushes.

I wandered over, trying to look casual.

"What's up?"

He jumped. "Whoa, didn't hear you. There's a fox." He pointed at the edge of the yard where the manicured lawn met the woods. "It's been watching us for like twenty minutes."

I followed his gaze and sure enough, a sleek red fox was perched on a fallen log, tail twitching, looking completely unimpressed by a bunch of teenagers attempting to look cool in waist-deep water.

"That's honestly the vibe," I said, before I could stop myself.

Finn laughed, and it was this genuine sound that made something in my chest loosen. "Right? Like, we're all trying so hard and this fox is just like, I see you, I don't care."

"Big mood," I said, immediately wanting to die. Who says big mood anymore? But Finn didn't cringe.

"Wanna go say hi to it?" he asked.

"To the fox?"

"Yeah. I'm Finn, by the way."

I found myself wading through the water with him, leaving behind the party noise and social pressure. We didn't actually get close to the fox — it bolted when we were still several feet away — but for the first time all summer, I wasn't worrying about how I looked or who was watching. I was just standing in the water with a guy who appreciated a fox's judgmental stare more than a pool party's social hierarchy.

"Wanna get pizza after?" Finn asked. "My treat."

"Only if we don't have to talk to anyone."

"Deal."

As I walked back to grab my towel, I caught Jessica's eye. She looked confused that I was leaving early with the hoodie guy from Bio. But for once, I didn't care what anyone thought. I'd take a fox's approval over this party's social currency any day.