Poolside Confidence

Maya pulled her dad's battered trucker hat down low over her eyes, the brim curved just right like she'd practiced in the mirror for twenty minutes. It was her armor against the pool party chaos.

She wasn't supposed to be swimming anyway—not with the giant bandage on her knee from soccer camp last week. But everyone was there, even Tyler, who'd barely glanced her way since eighth grade.

"Nice hat," Tyler called out from the diving board. "Planning to take a dip?"

"Maybe," Maya shouted back, her stomach doing flip-flops. Behind her, Jenna—the bull of Hamilton High, who'd made Maya's life miserable since freshman year—snickered with her friends.

"She's probably scared to show her legs," Jenna whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Bet she's got something to hide."

Maya's face burned. She tugged the hat lower, ready to bolt. But then she caught sight of the pool—sparkling, inviting, filled with people having the time of their lives. And there was Tyler, actually watching her, waiting.

Screw it.

Maya whipped off the hat and shook out her hair, then reached for the hem of her oversized t-shirt. The bandage was ugly, but whatever. Jenna wasn't going to ruin this moment.

"Actually," Maya said, stepping to the edge of the pool, her voice steady for the first time all day, "I was just waiting for you to clear the landing zone."

She executed a perfect cannonball, sending a wave of water directly onto Jenna's pristine lounging setup.

Underwater, everything was muffled and peaceful. When Maya surfaced, sputtering and laughing, Tyler was grinning at her. And Jenna? She was wiping chlorine off her phone, looking less like a bully and more like someone who'd seriously underestimated the new girl.

"Nice form," Tyler said, swimming over. "Wanna race?"

Maya grinned, treading water. She didn't need the hat anymore. She was already floating.