Palm Readers Don't Swim

Jordan's palms were sweating — literally, like, actual dripping — as they stood at the edge of the community pool. The birthday party for basically the most popular girl in tenth grade was in full swing. Literally. Everyone was swimming, splashing, acting like this was just another Saturday.

"You coming in?" asked Riley, slipping goggles onto their forehead. "Water's perfect."

Jordan forced a laugh. "Yeah, totally. Just, you know, warming up my muscles. Don't want to cramp and drown tragically in front of everyone."

Classic Jordan humor. Deflect everything.

The truth? Jordan couldn't swim. Like, at all. Growing up in a landlocked state with parents who worked three jobs between them meant swimming lessons were never exactly a priority. Now here they were, fifteen years old, surrounded by half the sophomore class, all bearing witness to their shame.

"I heard Jake's planning something epic for the talent show," Riley said, conveniently providing a distraction. "Like, bull-riding epic?"

"That sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen."

"That's the point!" Riley grinned. "Anyway, you should totally sign up. You're funny."

Jordan's palms had stopped sweating at least, pressed against their thighs in what they hoped looked casual and not like they were holding themselves back from jumping in. Literally everyone from their friend group was in the pool now, even Maya, who claimed chlorine made her break out.

The FOMO was real.

"Hey," Riley said softer, like they actually got it. "You don't have to swim if you don't want to. We can just chill here."

And suddenly Jordan realized — nobody actually cared. They were all too busy worrying about their own awkward teenage existence to notice Jordan wasn't in the water. The social anxiety was entirely self-inflicted.

"Actually," Jordan said, toeing off their flip-flops, "I think I will go in. But someone has to promise not to let me drown."

Riley's face lit up. "Deal. Also, I'm teaching you to swim before the next party. Non-negotiable."

"Deal."

Jordan jumped in, fully clothed, because that felt somehow less vulnerable than the gradual wade-in. The water rushed into their ears, muffling the party noise into something distant and manageable. When they surfaced, sputtering and laughing at their own dramatic entrance, Riley was right there beside them.

"See?" Riley said. "Not so bad."

"Yeah," Jordan admitted, treading water with help from Riley's steady presence nearby. "Actually not bad at all."

For the first time all day, Jordan's palms were dry.