Poolside Protocol

The backyard hummed with that Saturday-afternoon energy — chlorine and coconut sunscreen, distant bass from a Bluetooth speaker, the laughter of people who were definitely cooler than me. I stood by the snack table, clutching a paper plate like it was a lifeline.

"You gonna eat that papaya or just hold its hand?"

I jumped. Marcus stood there, grinning, water droplets still clinging to his shoulders. He'd actually jumped in the pool. Meanwhile, I'd spent forty-five minutes overthinking whether my swim trunks were too last-season.

"It's... I've never tried it," I admitted, which was basically the theme of my freshman year so far. Never tried out for track. Never talked to Skyler in bio. Never anything.

Marcus snorted. "Dude, it's fruit, not a commitment ceremony." He snagged a chunk from my plate and popped it in his mouth. "See? Not gonna kill you. Unless you're allergic, then that'd be a terrible way to go."

"Marcus!" A voice rang out from the pool deck. It was Chloe, who'd dated three different guys since homecoming and currently had my stomach doing full gymnastics routines every time she looked in my direction. "Your sister's looking for you. Something about her cat getting out again?"

"That cat has a personal vendetta against doors," Marcus muttered, but he was already moving away. He shot me a look. "Hey, actually talk to people today, alright? You're not gonna get any vitamin D standing in the corner all day."

I stood there for another thirty seconds until Chloe herself walked over, grabbing a water bottle from the cooler. Our hands brushed and my brain short-circuited.

"You're friends with Marcus, right?" she asked, and something in her voice sounded almost... nervous? No, impossible. Chloe wasn't nervous about anything.

"Yeah, since like, sixth grade."

"Cool." She twisted the cap on her bottle, then just stood there. The silence stretched. Somewhere behind us, someone shouted "BULLSHIT!" at what sounded like an impossible game of chicken.

Chloe took a breath. "So I was wondering, like... if he's seeing anyone? Because I've been trying to work up the nerve to ask him for literally weeks, and you seem like someone who'd actually give me a straight answer instead of making it weird."

The gymnastics in my stomach stopped cold.

Oh.

"He's not seeing anyone," I heard myself say. "And he definitely wouldn't make it weird."

She lit up. "Thanks! You're the best, honestly."

I watched her walk toward the pool, already calling Marcus's name, and something in my chest untwisted and ached at the same time. I took a bite of the papaya. It was sweet, kind of melon-y, honestly not what I expected.

I jumped into the pool. The shock of cold water against my skin woke everything up. Marcus and Chloe were already laughing at something by the deep end. I swam toward them, finally, actually, ready to be part of whatever happened next.