Sink or Swim at Maria's

My palms were sweating. Actual sweating. Like, I needed to check if I'd somehow grabbed a handful of VICKS VAPOR RUB instead of sunscreen before leaving the house.

"You good, Jordan?" Chloe asked, raising an eyebrow as I stood frozen at Maria's backyard gate.

"Totally," I lied, immediately reaching for my phone to pretend I had somewhere else to be, somewhere less terrifying than a POOL PARTY thrown by the most popular girl in junior year. But my screen stayed black. "My charging cable must've frayed again. Classic me."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Just come inside. You're missing the setup."

Maria's backyard looked like something out of a TikTok I'd definitely doom-scroll past at 2 AM. String lights, a playlist that was 90% songs I only knew from soundtracks, and a PEbble-blue pool that was somehow both inviting and absolutely horrifying. The REALITY of my situation hit me: I was the only one here who still used a kickboard. That was literally my swim stroke.

"Yo, Jordan!" Marcus called from the pool's edge, water dripping from his hair like he was in a music video. "Grab some fruit! Maria's uncle brought papaya from his farm or whatever. It's actually fire."

Papaya. Sure. Because I was definitely going to eat some exotic fruit while simultaneously trying not to drown socially. I grabbed a wedge and took a bite, mostly to have something to do with my hands.

"So," Chloe said, appearing beside me with her own fruit plate, "are you getting in, or are we doing the whole 'I forgot my swimsuit' routine again?"

"I'm thinking about it," I said, which was also a lie. I wasn't thinking about it. I was overthinking it. There's a difference.

Maria swam over to the edge, hoisting herself up with the kind of easy confidence I'd been faking since seventh grade. "Hey! Jordan's here! Finally!" She tilted her head. "You good? You look... intense."

"Just really appreciating this papaya," I said. "It's got layers."

She laughed. "Okay, cool. Well, whenever you're ready, we're doing chicken fights. Marcus needs a partner."

I looked around. Everyone was either IN or getting in. Even Chloe was toeing the edge, testing the water like she always did before committing to anything.

And suddenly it hit me: nobody was watching me. Nobody was waiting for me to fail or make a fool of myself. They were just... hanging out. Being weird and loud and exactly who they were, papaya-stained fingers and bad hair days and all.

"Actually," I said, setting down my plate, "I think I'll get in."

"Bet," Maria said. "But just so you know, I'm absolutely destroying you and Marcus."

"We'll see," I said, stepping toward the pool. "I've been watching YouTube tutorials."

She cracked up. "You're so weird."

And for the first time all day, my palm wasn't sweating anymore. I cannonballed in, making the biggest splash possible, because if I was going to do this, I was going to do it LOUD.