Fox at the Pool Party

The chlorine stung my eyes, but honestly? That was better than looking at Tyler and Maya making out on the lounge chairs. This pool party was supposed to be legendary, but instead I was just the awkward freshman in the corner, nursing a melted slushie.

"Hey, you okay?"

I jumped. Katie. The cute sophomore with the orange streaks in her dark hair. She'd been watching me all night, or maybe I was just hyper-aware because I'd been crushing on her since orientation.

"Yeah, just, you know... third-wheeling situations are brutal."

She laughed, sliding into the hot tub next to me. "Tell me about it. My ex is over there somewhere living his best life while I'm hiding in the bubbling corner."

"Wait, you and Tyler—"

"Ew, no. Different Tyler. The universe is full of them, like some terrible cosmic joke." She tossed an orange slice from her drink into the water. "My friends told me to come tonight. Said it'd be fun. Said I needed to get back out there."

"Are they...?"

"They mean well. But friendship advice from people who've never had their heart crushed is like cooking tips from someone who's never owned a stove."

A rustle in the bushes behind the pool made us both turn. An actual fox — sleek reddish fur, pointed ears — padded into the pool area. It just stood there, watching us, completely unbothered.

"No freaking way," Katie whispered.

The fox dipped its head toward the orange slice floating in the hot tub.

"He wants it," I said.

"No way he's—"

The fox nudged forward, snatched the orange from the water, and bolted back into the darkness with its prize.

We stared at each other, then burst out laughing.

"That was literally the most amazing thing I've ever seen," she said between giggles. "Like, what even IS this night?"

"Right?" I was still laughing. "Fox just came to steal our orange like he ordered takeout."

Katie looked at me differently then. Really looked at me.

"You know what?" she said. "I think we just made the only real memory anyone's going to take away from this party."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. And honestly?" She nudged my foot under the water. "I'm kind of glad I ended up in this corner.

The rest of the night blurred into swimming contests and deep talks about everything and nothing. By the time we wobbled home in our wet clothes at 2 AM, something had shifted. Maybe friendship does start in the weirdest places. Or maybe that fox was just messing with our destiny.

Either way, I'm counting it as a win.