Pool Party Panic

Maya's fingers hovered over her iphone screen, doomscrolling through everyone's perfect summer posts while her best friend Jenna dragged her toward the backyard gate.

"You've been hiding in your room all week," Jenna said, flipping her beach waves. "Your hair looks fine. The curls are literally cute."

Maya tugged at her frizzy curls. She'd gotten her braces off three days ago and still felt like everyone was staring at her teeth. Or her hair. Or basically everything.

The pool party was already in full swing—music thumping, patio lights strung up, people doing cannonballs off the diving board. Tyler spotted her and waved from the water, and Maya's stomach did that stupid flip thing.

"Hey!" He swam over, droplets running down his face. "You made it."

"Yeah, um, hey." Maya clutched her phone like a lifeline. "Just, you know, needed to get out."

"Pool's perfect," Tyler said. "Jump in?"

Before Maya could reply—could overthink, could make an excuse—this massive black-and-white something burst through the backyard fence. Wood splintered everywhere.

It was a bull. An actual, living bull.

Someone screamed. The bull snorted, lowered its massive head, and charged toward the pool.

"WHAT THE—" Tyler scrambled up the pool ladder.

Maya didn't think. She just grabbed Jenna's arm and bolted toward the house, flipping her phone into her pocket. The bull skidded on wet concrete, slipped, and crashed sideways into the shallow end, sending up a tsunami-sized wave.

Nobody moved. Then Tyler started laughing. Then everyone was laughing—hysterical, can't-breathe laughter.

The bull, now looking thoroughly confused and very unhappy about being wet, clambered out and trotted back toward the hole in the fence.

"Did that just happen?" Maya gasped, leaning against the patio door.

Tyler looked at her, water dripping from his hair, grinning. "You moved fast. Like, really fast."

"Adrenaline," Maya shrugged. But her phone buzzed in her pocket—a bunch of notifications. People had already posted about it. Pool crasher. Literal bull.

She pulled it out, thumbs hovering over the screen, then shoved it back in her pocket.

"Whatever," she said, and actually smiled. "Let's swim."

And for the first time all week, she didn't check her reflection first. She just jumped in.