Market Crash at the Deep End

My summer was supposed to be chill—just working as a lifeguard at the rec center, maybe finally learning to actually swim instead of just treading water like a panicked cat. But then my older brother, the Wall Street wannabe, talked me into joining his investment club.

"It's basically free money, Maya," he'd said, scrolling through Robinhood like he was Gordon Gekko's TikTok cousin. "The market's been in a bull run for months. Even you could do this."

I should've known better. The first week, I went all in on some tech startup my brother called 'a guaranteed ten-bagger.' By Friday, my fifty dollars was worth twelve. The bull had trampled me, then backed up and done a little dance on my portfolio's grave.

The real low point came during the regional swim meet. I was staring at the pool, my phone blowing up with loss notifications, when Coach Miller caught me.

"You're thinking too hard," she said, leaning against the starting block. "Water doesn't care about your problems. It just is."

I looked at her like she was hallucinating. "Coach, I just lost almost everything I invested. I can't focus."

She raised an eyebrow. "Listen to me. You can be a bear about it—mope around, let the market ruin your whole vibe—or you can dive in anyway. The water's the same temperature either way."

Something clicked. I stuffed my phone in my bag, climbed onto the block, and executed the best dive of my life. The water embraced me like an old friend, cool and forgiving and completely indifferent to my financial failures. I came up for air feeling lighter than I had in weeks.

Later, my brother found me eating a vending machine Snickers. "So," he said, "how's your portfolio doing?"

"Honestly?" I swallowed. "I think I'm done with stocks. Turns out I'm better at staying afloat in the pool than in the market."

He laughed. "Fair. But hey—at least now you know what 'bear market' feels like in real time."

"Yeah, well," I said, heading toward the pool. "Some things you just have to learn the hard way. But the water? The water's always there to catch you."

That night, I deleted the trading app. Some investments just aren't worth the stress.