Poolside Papaya Protocol

The papaya sat on the paper plate like a radioactive orange alien. Maya had brought it from her mom's garden, insisting it would be "a whole vibe" at Tyler's pool party. I eyed it suspiciously while adjusting my swim trunks for the tenth time.

"You're literally shaking," Maya whispered, nudging my shoulder. "It's just a party. Don't be such a baby about swimming in front of everyone."

Easy for her to say. Maya was a synchronized swimming prodigy who could probably do ballet in water. Meanwhile, I'd barely passed junior lifeguard training last summer after accidentally belly-flopping during my rescue demonstration.

But the real reason I was freaking out wasn't the pool. It was Tyler's older brother, Jared, who was currently shirtless by the deep end, looking like a Greek god who'd wandered into suburban California. I'd been lowkey spying on him from behind my sunglasses all afternoon, trying to play it cool while absolutely dying inside.

"Yo, you gonna eat that papaya or just stare at it?" Tyler appeared, grinning that perfect grin that made everyone forget he'd almost failed algebra last year. "Jared says it's gross, but I'm down to try."

Before I could respond, some sophomore I didn't recognize cannonballed into the pool, sending a wave of water directly at my plate. The papaya flew through the air in slow motion, landing with a wet splat directly on Jared's chest.

The entire pool area went silent.

Jared looked down at the orange goo dripping down his abs. Then he locked eyes with me.

"Well," he said, wiping papaya from his pecs with zero embarrassment. "That's one way to break the ice." He actually laughed. "You got pretty good aim there."

My face burned hotter than the summer sun. I wanted to dissolve into the concrete. Instead, I somehow managed: "My bad. I can explain—"

"Nah, don't worry about it." He smirked. "But you owe me. Next round of truth or dare, I'm calling on you."

Maya squeezed my arm under the water. "See? I told you it would be a whole vibe."

I watched Jared dive back into the pool, papaya somehow forgotten. Maybe, just maybe, this summer wouldn't be so bad after all. Even if I'd never live down the Great Papaya Incident of 2026.