Poolside Panic Attack

The chlorine smell hit me before I even clocked in. Another summer guarding the neighborhood pool, watching kids do cannonballs while my friends posted beach pics from the Shore. Typical.

Then Marcus walked in. Track star, varsity jacket even in July, the kind of guy who made my brain short-circuit. He dropped his towel near my chair. "Hey, you working today?"

"Uh, yeah." Smooth, Maya. Real smooth.

"Cool." He flashed that smile that made my stomach do actual gymnastics. "Maybe later?"

I spent the next hour scrolling through my phone, trying to look casual. Meanwhile, this one little kid kept doing his best impression of a bull in a china shop, knocking over chairs and practically tackle-hugging strangers. His poor mom was chasing him everywhere, looking ready to cry.

Then the kid's cat — yes, someone brought their actual cat to the pool — somehow escaped its carrier and made a break for the fence. The chaos that followed was next level. People screaming, water splashing everywhere, me blowing my whistle so hard I nearly swallowed it.

Marcus jumped in to help catch the thing, and I'm not gonna lie, watching him emerge from the water like some kind of Greek god had me feeling some type of way. But then my boss, this 40-year-old who still said "lit" unironically, came over and was like, "Maya, you need to bear down and take control here."

I died a little inside.

By the time everything calmed down, I was sweating through my one-piece, my hair was escaping my bun, and I was 100% sure Marcus had witnessed my entire meltdown.

But later, as I sat on the edge of the pool during my break, Marcus sat beside me. "That was insane."

"Tell me about it."

He nudged my shoulder. "You were kinda amazing though. The way you handled that kid?" He shook his head. "I wouldn't have known what to do."

The summer sun reflected off the water, turning everything gold. For the first time all day, I could actually breathe.

"So," Marcus said, "you still up for hanging out later?"

I smiled, maybe for the first time all summer. "Yeah. Actually, I am."