Pool Party Protocol

The invite said 'pool party' which really meant 'stand around awkwardly in a swimsuit while everyone tries way too hard.' Maya tugged at the straps of her bikini top for the fiftieth time, feeling like everyone was secretly judging her.

Then she saw him—Jake, the guy she'd been lowkey crushing on since September, standing by the snack table looking unfairly good in swim trunks. Her brain immediately short-circuited.

"Hey, you gonna get in or just bear witness from the edge all night?" Jake called out, laughing. Maya felt her face get hot. Was he teasing her? Flirting? She couldn't tell.

"I'm just... waiting for the right moment," she shot back, praying she sounded chill.

The real problem wasn't the water—it was the papaya. Someone's health-conscious mom had cut up this exotic fruit arrangement, and Maya had zero clue how to eat it gracefully. Do you bite it? Scoop it? What if she looked ridiculous?

Her friends were already in the pool, screaming and having the time of their lives. Meanwhile, Maya was stuck in her head, overthinking everything like always.

Jake waded over to the shallow end, droplets running down his chest. "Seriously, Maya, the water's perfect. Don't make me come get you."

"You wouldn't dare," she challenged, heart pounding.

"Try me."

Before she could process what was happening, Jake surged forward, scooped her up, and jumped into the pool with her in his arms. They surfaced, both sputtering and laughing.

"You're dead," Maya splashed water at him, but she was grinning so hard it hurt.

"Totally worth it," Jake said, shaking wet hair out of his eyes like some rom-com protagonist. "Now you're in. Problem solved."

Later, wrapped in a towel and shivering, Maya finally tried the papaya. Jake watched her attempt to figure it out.

"You've never had papaya before?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Here." He picked up a piece and showed her. "Just bite it. It's basically nature's candy."

Maya took a bite. Sweet, tropical, unexpected.

"Well?" Jake raised an eyebrow.

"Not bad," she admitted. "Maybe I'll have to try new stuff more often."

"Yeah?" His smile was different now—softer, like he meant something else entirely.

Maya's stomach did this little flip thing that had nothing to do with the papaya. "Yeah."

Pool parties weren't so terrible after all. At least not when certain people were there to push you in—literally.