Poolside Truths

Tyler's baseball cleats clicked against the concrete as he approached the Hernandez's pool party. The varsity jacket hung heavy on his shoulders, even though he'd barely earned it—backup catcher, the guy who warmed up pitchers but never started a real game. He was practically a goldfish on the varsity team: small, forgettable, swimming in a bowl way too big for him.

The pool area was already packed. Jessica Martinez was there, looking annoyingly perfect in her bikini, surrounded by the usual crowd. Tyler had been bearing a crush on her since seventh grade, and tonight he'd finally worked up the nerve to actually talk to her. His sister had given him this whole pep talk about being confident, but his stomach was doing gymnastics.

"Hey, Tyler!" yelled Marcus, the starting pitcher who treated Tyler like his personal assistant. "Grab us some sodas from the cooler."

Tyler's jaw tightened. He wasn't about to be the fetch boy tonight. Not when he needed to make his move with Jessica.

"In a minute," he called back, heading straight for the pool steps instead.

The water felt amazing after the brutal baseball practice in the August heat. He floated near the edge, watching Jessica laugh at something some senior said. She caught his eye and actually smiled.

"Hey! Tyler, right?" She swam over. "I heard you almost caught that foul ball last week."

"Yeah," he said, trying to play it cool. "Almost doesn't count though."

"Whatever," she said, splashing him. "At least you tried out. You're brave. I wouldn't have the guts to put myself out there like that."

They talked for twenty minutes about everything—music, teachers, how much they both hated calculus. Tyler felt like he could finally breathe. Maybe being a backup wasn't so terrible. Maybe he didn't have to be the star to be worth noticing.

"So," Jessica said, treading water near him. "You going to Kevin's party tomorrow?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Tyler grinned, finally feeling like the main character in his own life.