Poolside Panic Attack

My summer job as a lifeguard at the community pool was supposed to be chill, but my social anxiety had other plans. I'd spent weeks perfecting my playlist on my iPhone, convinced that if I looked confident enough, nobody would notice I was literally shaking inside.

Then Marcus showed up.

Marcus, the varsity baseball captain with the stupid perfect smile and arms that could probably bench press my entire existence. Of course he picked the lane right in front of my stand. Of course he forgot his vitamin water on the deck and asked if I could grab it for him.

"Sure thing," I squeaked, my voice cracking like I was still in middle school. As I leaned over, my whistle caught on the chair, and I basically face-planted into the concrete. Marcus laughed, but not in a mean way—more like that adorable confused laugh that made my stomach do gymnastics.

The real disaster happened later. I'd managed to avoid him all afternoon until I heard screams near the back fence. Some idiot's dog had gotten loose—a massive bear of a thing that looked more wolf than Golden Retriever. Everyone panicked, rushing toward the pool building.

Except this tiny kid who'd gotten separated from the chaos, frozen near the fence as the dog approached.

I didn't think. I just moved.

By the time I reached them, Marcus was already there, calmly distracting the dog while I grabbed the kid. We ended up trapped against the pool fence, the three of us huddled together until animal control showed up.

"That was pretty brave," Marcus said afterward, sitting poolside with me as our hearts slowed down. "Most people would've freaked."

"I was freaking," I admitted, laughing. "Internally screaming the whole time."

"Same," he grinned. "Hey, wanna get vitamin water after this? My treat."

Maybe this summer wouldn't be so bad after all.