Poolside Apocalypse

I looked like a zombie. No joke—four hours of sleep will do that to you. Thank you, Fortnite, for ruining my life one Victory Royale at a time.

"You good, Marcus?" Jordan asked, already halfway into the pool. The annual end-of-school blowout at the Rodriguez's was legendary, and I'd been waiting for this all year. But right now? I wanted to melt into the patio furniture and disappear.

"I'm chill," I lied, adjusting my swim trunks like they were made of pure awkwardness. "Just, you know, taking it in."

Taking it in meant watching Chloe—the girl I'd been lowkey crushing on since September—laughing at something Tyler said. Tyler, who had somehow morphed into a total bull over the summer, all muscles and confidence. Meanwhile, I was still waiting for my growth spurt. Spoiler alert: it wasn't coming.

I grabbed a veggie wrap from the snack table and took a massive bite. That's when Jordan's eyes went wide.

"Bro, you got—you got something—"

I checked my reflection in the patio door. A massive, forest-green piece of spinach was wedged between my front teeth, looking like I'd been eating a salad mid-kiss.

My soul left my body.

I heard Chloe laugh—not mean, but genuine—and somehow that was worse. I motioned toward the pool like "yeah, I meant to do that" and cannonballed in, descending into the chlorinated safety of underwater silence.

Swimming had always been my escape. Below the surface, the noise faded—the expectations, the insecurity, Tyler being annoyingly perfect. I was weightless, suspended in blue. But then something grabbed my ankle.

I shot up, gasping, to find everyone staring.

"Marcus, you okay?" Chloe was right there at the edge. "You were down there for a while. We were about to send a search party."

"Yeah," I said, treading water. My heart hammered against my ribs, but not from almost drowning. From her being close. "I'm—I'm good."

"Good," she said, this smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "Because you've got spinach in your teeth again."

I groaned, ducking under to hide my burning face.

"I'm kidding!" She laughed, and it was this sound, bright and real, and suddenly she was sliding into the pool next to me. "But seriously, are you okay? You looked like you were bearing the weight of the world down there."

I blinked. Chloe—perfect, popular Chloe—was talking to me. Actually talking.

"Just tired," I admitted. "Summer school, you know? Plus my mom's been working double shifts. It's a lot."

Her expression softened. "Yeah, I get that. My parents are splitting, so..."

We talked for twenty minutes, treading water in the deep end while the party raged on. About school, about stress, about how much it sucked trying to figure out who you were supposed to be.

When I finally pulled myself out of the pool, dripping and exhausted, I caught Jordan's eye. He gave me this look—like he knew something had shifted.

I wasn't suddenly confident. I still had spinach stuck in my teeth, and I was still exhausted, and Tyler was still annoying. But somehow, for the first time all summer, I didn't feel like I was just surviving.

I felt like I was actually living.