Goldfish in the Deep End

The last thing I expected to bear witness to at Tyler's end-of-summer blowout was Marcus—yes, Marcus Chen, who'd been my best friend since kindergarten—wearing a bright orange speedo that could probably be seen from space. The kid had zero chill.

"Dude," I said, deadpan. "Please tell me you're joking."

"What? It's confidence, Leo." Marcus struck a pose by the pool edge, and I had to look away to save my retinas. "You should try it sometime."

I rolled my eyes and adjusted my own trunks—regular blue, thanks very much. The whole thing was extra. Tyler's parents were out of town, which apparently meant half the sophomore class showed up with coolers of cheap soda and questionable judgment.

And then there was Jenna, sitting in one of those woven lawn chairs like she wasn't the most confusing person I'd ever met. She'd given me that look yesterday in biology—not a *look* look, just... a look. One that made me wonder if things could change between us. But then she'd laughed at something Tyler said, and I'd felt like a goldfish in a bowl, forever swimming in circles while everyone else lived in the ocean.

"Truth or dare!" someone yelled from the pool deck, because of course.

Marcus, because Marcus, immediately volunteered. "Dare me."

The guy hosting—Tyler, obviously—grinned. "I dare you to jump in with your phone."

"No way," I said. "That's a $600 device."

"Bet," Marcus said, like an absolute legend, and cannonballed into the pool with his phone still in his hand.

The splash was epic. Water everywhere. Girls screaming. Me standing there wondering how I ended up with these people.

But then Marcus surfaced, phone miraculously still working (waterproof cases, whatever), and everyone was losing it. Jenna was laughing so hard she nearly fell out of her chair. Even I cracked a smile, despite myself.

"You're insane," I told him later as we dripped dry on the patio, sharing a warm orange soda that someone had abandoned.

"That's why you're my friend, bro. I do the stuff you're too scared to do."

I looked over at Jenna, who was watching us from across the pool. Maybe Marcus was right. Maybe this was the year I finally jumped in the deep end.

"Next time," I said. "Next time."