Orange Cable Sunset

The pool party at Maya's house was supposed to be chill, but my stomach was doing full gymnastics routines. I stood by the edge of the pool, clutching my orange soda like a lifeline, watching everyone else float and splash like they'd been born in water.

"You gonna stand there all night or actually get in?"

I jumped. Kai. Of course Kai would notice me being awkward. They were treading water in the deep end, their hair slicked back, droplets clinging to their shoulders like they belonged there.

"I'm good," I lied. "Just... enjoying the view."

"The view of Maya's mom's prize-winning garden?" Kai grinned. "Riveting stuff."

My palms were sweating. Literally sweating. In July. By a pool. I wiped them on my shorts, probably looking like a total weirdo. "Whatever."

"Hey." Kai swam closer to the edge. "Your phone's about to fall in."

I looked down. My phone was balanced precariously on the pool deck, connected to a charging cable that was stretched way too tight from the outdoor outlet. One wrong move and it was gone.

"Right. Thanks." I reached for it, but my hand was trembling. Why was I trembling? It was just Kai. We'd been in the same homeroom for three years.

The cable snagged on my flip-flop. My phone tipped toward the water.

Kai moved fast—faster than I thought possible—and grabbed it before it could splash. They surfaced, grinning, holding my phone above their head like some weird trophy.

"Saved. You owe me."

"Thanks," I managed. My face felt like it was burning off.

"Anytime." Kai's smile softened. "Hey, some of us are gonna walk to 7-Eleven for slurpees later. You should come."

My heart did something stupid and flippy. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." They treaded water for a second, looking at me like they were actually seeing me. "Unless you're busy being terrified of pool parties."

"I'm not terrified," I said automatically. Then, because something in Kai's eyes made me feel brave: "I'm just... new to this whole being social thing."

"Join the club." Kai pulled themselves up to sit on the pool deck, dripping wet. "We're all faking it, you know. Nobody actually knows what they're doing."

The sun was setting behind the palm trees, painting everything in shades of pink and orange. For the first time all night, my breathing felt easy.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Kai stood up and grabbed a towel. "So come get slurpees with us. For real this time."

I smiled. "Okay. Yeah. I'm in."