Pool Party Disaster

I stared at my sweaty palms, practically hyperventilating behind the philosophy section. "You good, bro?" Marcus whispered beside me, already knowing the answer.

The pool party was in full swing. Popular kids everywhere. Jen across the deck, looking radiant in that bathing suit that matched her personality perfectly—vibrant and unapologetic.

Marcus, being the best friend ever, pointed out the chill crowd by the garage. "We could just bail? Pretend we were never here?"

I shook my head. I needed to at least try. That's when Jen noticed me and actually walked over.

"Hey! Haven't seen you much since—"

"Since you started sitting with Ava and them at lunch," I said, then immediately wanted to die. Way to sound desperate.

But Jen just laughed. "Yeah, sorry about that. Things got... complicated." She pushed her hair back. "So, you doing anything for spring break?"

My brain short-circuited. "Uh, not really. Just... hanging out."

"I'm stuck watching my brother's goldfish," she said, rolling her eyes. "It's literally already died twice. How does that even happen?"

"I feel that," I said, suddenly brave. "My dog got into—"

"YO, WATCH THIS!" Jake's voice cut through everything as he launched himself into a perfect cannonball. Water sprayed everywhere, drenching me and Jen both.

We both cracked up.

"Your goldfish is safe with me," I called out, feeling something shift.

"Swimming lessons start tomorrow!" Jake yelled back.

I looked at Jen. She was already smiling at me like she used to, before everything got weird. Maybe some things could circle back. Maybe this summer wasn't going to be so terrible after all.