Goldfish in the Deep End

Maya's stomach did backflips as she stood at the edge of the pool, clutching her red solo cup like it was a life raft. Some kind of house music was thumping from inside, the bass vibrating through the concrete deck. This was it—her first actual high school party, and she was already regretting everything.

"You gonna jump in or what?" came a voice behind her. She turned to see Liam, the quiet guy from her English class, standing there with his hands shoved in his pockets. His black lab, Buster—why was there a dog here?—sat beside him, panting happily like this was the best day of his life.

"I'm thinking," Maya said, though really she was overthinking. "Water's cold."

"It's July," Liam deadpanned. Buster chose that moment to shake his fur out, spraying Maya with droplets.

"Great, thanks for that," she laughed, wiping her face. The tension in her chest loosened, just a fraction.

Then Tyler appeared—actual Tyler, the Tyler who'd been suspended last month for disrupting assembly. The way everyone's energy shifted when he walked up made it obvious: he was the resident bull, and not in the animal sense. His eyes locked on Maya.

"Freshman," he said, not asking. "You gonna stand there all night or actually do something?" His friends snickered behind him.

Before Maya could even process a response, Liam stepped between them. "She's good, man. Chill."

"Whatever." Tyler shrugged and moved on to easier targets. Maya let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

"You didn't have to—" she started.

"Yeah I did," Liam cut in. "Tyler's all bark." He paused. "Also, full disclosure: I've been standing here for twenty minutes working up the courage to get in too."

Maya snorted. "For real?"

"Swear to god. I have the swimming ability of a goldfish." He gestured at the pool. "But I figured we could both look like idiots together. Strength in numbers, right?"

"You mean safety in numbers?" she corrected, but she was already stepping toward the edge.

"That too." He hesitated. "On three?"

"One," they counted together.

"Two."

"Three!"

They jumped. The water was surprisingly perfect, cool and refreshing. When they surfaced, gasping and laughing, Maya noticed Tyler and his crew had moved on to terrorizing someone else. For now, she was safe.

"See?" Liam said, slicking his wet hair back. "Not so bad."

"Yeah," Maya agreed, treading water. Something shifted inside her—maybe it was the adrenaline, maybe it was just surviving her first party intact. "Hey, thanks for having my back out there."

"Anytime." Buster barked from the edge, tail wagging like crazy. "See? Even the dog approves."

Maya laughed, and this time it felt real. She was running toward nothing now, and for the first time all night, she wasn't afraid of the deep end.