Poolside Fox

I felt like a complete zombie at Jessica's party. Three days of finals, zero sleep, and now here I was—standing at the edge of her above-ground pool in jeans and a t-shirt because SOMEONE (my mom) didn't get the memo that this was a swim thing.

Everyone was already in the water, laughing and splashing like they didn't have a care in the world. Tyler and his friends were doing cannonballs off the deck, each splash bigger than the last. Maya floated on an inflatable flamingo, looking like she belonged in a TikTok that would get 500K views.

I stood there feeling like the most awkward person alive. The pool water shimmered blue and inviting in the July heat, but I couldn't just jump in. I'd have to strip down to my boxers in front of everyone. No thanks.

Then I saw it—a flash of orange near the back fence. A fox. Actual wildlife in suburban New Jersey. It moved with this insane grace, head cocked like it was judging all of us.

"Yo, did you see that?" I whispered to no one.

The fox locked eyes with me for like two seconds, then bolted—running along the fence line, gone as fast as it appeared. But somehow that tiny moment broke me out of my head.

"Zack! You coming in or what?" Tyler yelled, doing a backflip off the diving board.

I made a split-second decision. Kicked off my sneakers, peeled off my socks, and—yeah, I jumped in fully clothed. The water shocked my skin, instant cold everywhere, and everyone screamed and laughed and splashed me harder.

"Finally!" Maya yelled. "We thought you were gonna stand there all night being all broody and mysterious."

I came up sputtering, t-shirt plastered to my chest, and for the first time all week, I didn't feel like a zombie anymore. Felt like maybe, just maybe, high school wasn't completely terrible.

Somewhere beyond the fence, that fox was probably still running, wild and free. Maybe that could be me too.