Poolside Riddles

Marcus stood by the edge of Sara's inground pool, clutching his red solo cup like it was a lifeline. The water rippled with every splash—laughter, cannonballs, that one kid doing an impressive but objectively terrible backflip.

I'm literally drowning in social anxiety, he thought. Which was ironic, considering he was the only one NOT in the pool.

Tyler—aka the resident bull in every sense—was currently holding court in the shallow end, loudly explaining how his "sick lacrosse moves" were basically fine art. Marcus rolled his eyes so hard it actually hurt. Tyler's entire personality was one giant red flag, but somehow he was still the most popular guy in tenth grade. High school was baffling like that.

Sara caught Marcus's eye from her pool float and drifted over, leaving Tyler mid-sentence. Thank god. She pulled herself up to sit on the edge, dripping water everywhere, and Marcus's stomach did that embarrassing flutter thing.

"You hiding?" she asked, grinning.

"Strategically positioned," Marcus corrected. "There's a difference."

"Uh-huh." She splashed him. "So get in."

"In front of everyone? Have you met me?"

"Marcus." She gave him this look, part challenge and part something else that made his chest feel tight. "What are you waiting for?"

What was he waiting for? That was the question, wasn't it? The riddle he'd been stuck on all year, like he was staring down some sphinx that held all the answers but refused to speak them. Always watching from the sidelines. Always safe. Always alone.

Tyler chose that moment to loudly announce he was "bout to show y'all what a REAL cannonball looks like." Because of course he did.

Marcus met Sara's eyes again. Something shifted.

"Watch this," he said.

Before he could overthink it, he launched himself off the edge—perfect form, maximum height, zero hesitation. The impact sent a wave straight at Tyler's face.

Complete. Silence.

Then Sara was laughing, actually cracking up, and Marcus surfaced to find everyone staring. Tyler spluttered, wiping water from his eyes, looking ridiculous.

"Dude," someone said. "That was actually sick."

Marcus floated there, treading water, grinning like an idiot. The riddle had been simple all along: just jump.

"Again?" Sara asked, eyes bright.

"Again."