Poolside Apocalypse

The July heat wave had everyone acting like a walking **zombie**, even before Marcus's **swimming** party started. I'd been staring at my **orange** swimsuit for twenty minutes, trying to convince myself I could actually pull it off. Spoiler: I couldn't.

"You coming or what?" My brother yelled from downstairs. "Tyler's gonna be there."

Tyler. The **bull** of Central High, who'd made freshman year miserable for anyone who breathed wrong. Including me. Especially me.

The pool was already packed when we arrived—people doing cannonballs off the diving board, playing chicken fight, screaming over music that was definitely too loud. The air smelled like chlorine and coconut sunscreen. I hovered near the snack table, clutching a **water** bottle like it was a lifeline.

That's when Tyler and his crew decided to start their game.

"Zombie tag!" Tyler announced, splashing **water** everywhere. "Last person swimming becomes the zombie, and the zombie has to—"

"Jump in fully clothed?" someone suggested.

"Exactly."

Great. So we were playing a game where losing meant social suicide, and Tyler was obviously going to rig it. Typical.

I tried to fade into the background, but somehow I ended up being one of the last ones. My heart pounded as Tyler and his friends closed in, splashing, laughing,working together like predators. Just as I prepared for the inevitable humiliation—something happened.

Marcus's little sister Emma, maybe eight years old, cannonballed right into the middle of their carefully executed trap. The splash soaked Tyler completely.

Everyone froze.

Then Tyler started laughing. Actually laughing. "Okay, that was pretty epic."

The tension broke. Suddenly it wasn't about power—it was just a pool game again. I swam to the other end, dodging grabby hands, and somehow—against all odds—I wasn't the zombie.

Tyler was.

"You've gotta be kidding me," he muttered, but he was grinning. He climbed out of the pool, grabbed his phone, and jumped back in—shoes, wallet, everything. The cheers were deafening.

I ducked under the **water**, letting it wash away the weird tightness in my chest. When I came up for air, something felt different. Lighter. Maybe the world hadn't changed, but I had.

"Hey!" Tyler shouted, dripping and laughing. "Who's up for round two?"

This time, I didn't hesitate. I dove right in.