Poolside Zombie

The baseball cap pulled low over my eyes was my only defense against the blinding July sun and, more importantly, against making eye contact with anyone at Tyler's pool party. I'd been standing near the snack table for twenty minutes, clutching a warm soda like it was a lifeline.

"Yo, Marcus! You gonna stand there all day or actually get in?" Tyler called from the pool, grinning like he didn't realize he'd just invited the entire sophomore class to witness my social suicide.

"Yeah, uh, just warming up!" I yelled back, my voice cracking. Smooth. Real smooth.

I'd been avoiding swimming since last summer's incident when my shorts had, shall we say, betrayed me in front of half the grade. But Maya was here — Maya, who I'd had a crush on since seventh period English, who was currently laughing at something Josh-the-baseball-captain said, her hair perfect, her confidence radiating like she owned the place.

The backyard was a zombie apocalypse of social cliques. The popular kids clustered around the patio like survivors of something, the athletes comparing stats near the fence, the theater kids doing their own thing in the shade. And then there was me, shambling around like the walking dead, neither here nor there.

I caught Maya's eye. She actually waved.

My heart did that thing where it forgets how to beat. I grabbed my towel and made for the pool —

— and tripped over the coaxial cable someone had strung across the patio for the outdoor TV setup. The entire entertainment system crashed to the ground with a spectacular CRASH.

Everything went silent. Even the water seemed to stop moving.

Then Maya started laughing. Not mean laughing — the real kind, bent-double, can't-breathe laughing. "Oh my god, Marcus, are you okay? That was epic."

She swam over to the edge where I'd practically face-planted. "You're so graceful. Remind me to never take you dancing."

"I'll keep that in mind," I said, sitting up, my face burning hotter than the pavement.

"Seriously though," she said, splashing water at me, "get in here. Unless you're scared I'll beat you at races?"

I looked at my baseball cap, now sitting crooked on my head. At the cable I'd accidentally murdered. At Josh-the-baseball-captain, who looked mildly annoyed that his video game tournament had been interrupted.

Then I looked at Maya, waiting.

"You wish," I said, and jumped in wearing the hat.