Poolside Protocol

The chlorine stung Marcus's eyes as he pulled himself out of the pool, water dripping from his cutoffs. This was supposed to be chill—just him, his best friend Sarah, and the last Friday before junior year kicked their collective asses. But Sarah had been acting weird all summer.

"You gonna tell me what's actually going on?" Marcus asked, grabbing his towel. "Or should I guess?"

Sarah didn't look up from her phone. "Nothing."

"Bullshit. You've been sketchy since July. Sneaking around, checking over your shoulder, ducking my calls." Marcus laughed bitterly. "What, are you like, a spy or something?"

Sarah's head snapped up. Her golden retriever, Barnaby, chose that moment to shake out his fur directly onto Marcus's shorts. Perfect.

"I'm serious," Marcus pressed. "You're never at your house anymore. Your mom doesn't know where you are half the time. What gives?"

Sarah's jaw worked like she was chewing on something she couldn't spit out. Then, finally—"I'm at the community center. On 5th."

"What? Why?"

"My dad's bipolar," she said flatly. "He's been having a really bad episode. The manic kind where he thinks he's starting businesses, spending money we don't have. My mom can't handle it alone, so I've been... helping. At the center. They have support groups. And free dinner."

The silence stretched between them, heavy with things Marcus didn't know how to say. His stomach did that thing where it felt simultaneously hollow and full of lead.

"I thought..." Marcus swallowed. "I thought you were ditching me."

"You thought I was what, a spy?" Sarah cracked the tiniest smile. "God, Marcus. I'm literally just failing at adulting while my dad's brain breaks."

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "About your dad. And for assuming... I don't know. Whatever I assumed."

"You want to come with me tomorrow?" Sarah asked suddenly. "Barnaby's allowed in the waiting area. His emotional support game is strong."

Marcus looked down at the dog currently destroying his water bottle with pure golden joy. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, I do."

They sat there watching the pool's surface ripple in the wind, the secret between them no longer pulling them apart but something they could carry together. Barnaby sneezed, and for the first time all summer, things felt normal again.