Pool Party Panic

Maya stood at the edge of the cement pool deck, her chlorine-soaked nerves doing backflips. The beat of some TikTok viral song thumped from portable speakers, and practically everyone from sophomore year was either in the water or sprawled across beach towels looking effortless in ways Maya would never achieve. She clutched her iPhone like a lifeline, thumb hovering over her best friend Kai's text thread. "You got this, just act normal," she whispered to herself, then deleted the message before sending.

"Maya! You made it!" Chelsea appeared from nowhere, her Taylor's Version swimsuit somehow staying perfectly in place. "Are you gonna come in or what? The water's literally perfect."

"Yeah, just... gotta find my stuff," Maya lied, pulling her favorite dad hat lower over her forehead. She'd spent forty minutes straightening her hair that morning, only to throw the hat on at the last second because it felt like armor.

A group of guys splashed past them, and Tyler (actual Tyler, who sat behind her in bio and had perfect teeth) yelled, "Last one in's a rotten egg!" Someone tossed a bag of cheddar goldfish onto the nearest table, the orange fish-shaped crackers scattering everywhere like confetti. Maya's stomach did that thing it always did when cute boys were within a twenty-foot radius.

"I'm good," Maya called back, her voice cracking slightly. Smooth. Real smooth.

Her mom's voice echoed in her head: "Don't forget your vitamin D supplement, honey, all that pool sun will wreck your skin!" She'd practically force-fed her the giant chewable tablet in the car ride over, along with a whole lecture about sunscreen reapplication that Maya had only half-listened to because she was too busy overthinking her outfit.

"You okay?" Chelsea's expression softened, like she actually noticed something was off instead of just doing the polite thing.

Maya looked up from her phone, caught between making up an excuse and actually being real for once. "Honestly? I'm kind of terrified of swimming in front of everyone. I know it's dumb, but..."

"It's not dumb," Chelsea said. "Hey, Jordan, Zack, get out here! We're doing a chicken fight contest but like, strictly for people who can't actually swim. Maya's judging."

Maya blinked. "Wait, what?"

"You heard me." Chelsea winked. "Grab some goldfish and take a seat. You're officially the most important person here."

The hat finally came off as Maya sat down at the judge's table. Maybe pool parties weren't so bad after all.