Pool Party Panic

Maya's palms were sweating before she even stepped through the gate. The invitation said "casual pool party," but to her, it might as well have said "social disaster waiting to happen."

She'd spent forty-five minutes perfecting her hair, only to have her little brother mess it up. Now her favorite beanie hat sat crushed at the bottom of her bag, a casualty of sibling warfare. Without it, she felt exposed—like everyone would notice the new pimple on her chin or the fact that she'd gained three pounds over summer break.

"Maya! You made it!" Jordan called from the pool's edge, dripping wet and smiling. Jordan, whose smile made Maya's stomach do actual gymnastics.

She waved back, trying to look casual. "Yeah, totally. Wouldn't miss it."

Then came the incident. At lunch, Maya's mom had insisted she eat something green before leaving the house. Something healthy. So now, apparently, she had a chunk of spinach wedged between her front teeth. She discovered this when she caught her reflection in the sliding glass door—and Jordan was walking toward her.

Panic mode activated. She spun around dramatically, pretending to examine the inflatable palm tree in the corner.

"Nice palm tree," Jordan said from behind her. "Very... tropical."

Maya turned slowly, hand covering her mouth. "Thanks. I love trees. Especially the inflatable kind."

Jordan raised an eyebrow, grinning. "You have something—"

Without thinking, Maya did the only logical thing. She sprinted toward the pool and dove in, fully clothed.

The water shocked her system, but when she surfaced, sputtering and wiping her face, everyone was laughing. Including Jordan.

"Smooth entrance," Jordan called out. "Very dramatic."

Maya's cheeks burned as she waded to the edge. But then Jordan jumped in beside her, splashing water everywhere.

"I have spinach in my teeth, don't I?" Maya whispered.

"Had," Jordan corrected gently. "The dive took care of it. Also, you're adorable when you panic."

Maya's heart skipped about seventeen beats. Maybe first impressions weren't everything. Maybe sometimes you had to dive into the deep end—figuratively and literally—to find out that the water wasn't so scary after all.

Her palms weren't sweating anymore. But her face definitely was.