Poolside Papaya Panic

Summer pool parties were supposed to be chill vibes, but for me, they were basically anxiety Olympics. Maya's legendary end-of-summer bash was no exception.

I stood by the snack table, gripping a papaya like it was a lifeline. Who even brought papayas to a pool party? Definitely not the vibe everyone else was serving. Across the pool, Jason and his crew were doing cannonballs and being loud, while I debated whether eating this weird fruit would make me look like a total weirdo or sophisticatedly exotic.

"Bro, you gonna eat that or marry it?"

I jumped. My neighbor's massive dog, Bear—a Golden Retriever the size of a small sofa—had somehow materialized beside me, drooling pools onto the patio. His actual name was Bear, which was hilarious because he was the least bear-like creature to ever exist.

"I'm thinking about it," I whispered to the bear-like dog, like we were co-conspirators.

Suddenly, Jason appeared, dripping wet and devastatingly hot.

"Papaya, huh? That's different."

Different. Code for weird. My face burned hotter than the pavement.

"My mom's trying to get me to eat more exotic fruit," I lied, because telling the truth would've meant admitting I'd grabbed the strangest thing on the table out of nervousness.

Jason shrugged. "Cool. I dare you to try it."

And just like that, we were having a moment. Me and my nemesis-since-kindergarten, sharing awkward fruit experiences.

Bear chose that exact moment to sneeze violently, launching himself backward into the pool with a spectacular splash. Chaos erupted. Everyone rushed to the edge, laughing and shouting. In the commotion, Jason and I ended up sitting side by side on the diving board, legs dangling in the cool water, eating papaya slices with our fingers like feral raccoons.

"Not terrible," he said, grinning at me.

"Not terrible at all," I agreed.

And for the first time all summer, the anxiety in my chest quieted. Maybe pool parties weren't so bad after all—especially with a stolen papaya, a soaked dog, and a boy who was finally seeing me instead of just the quiet girl in English class.