Summer's Unexpected Curveball

The **baseball** cap was practically part of Leo's skull at this point—a backward-facing shield against the world. Adjusting it for the fiftieth time, he stood at the edge of the pool, watching everyone else act like being shirtless and soaking wet was the most natural thing in the universe.

"Yo Leo, get in here!" Marcus yelled, doing some kind of ridiculous backflip. "The water's literal perfection, bro!"

Leo's stomach did that thing it always did when people noticed him—the social anxiety twist. He'd been dreading this pool party since Jordan invited him last week. Because Jordan was there. Jordan, in her floral bikini, laughing at something Tyler said. Tyler, whose abs apparently operated on a different plane of existence.

"I'm good," Leo called back, lying through his teeth. His **hat** was doing zero favors for the sweat trickling down his temples. Just jump in, he told himself. Like, rip off the band-aid. Except the band-aid was his dignity, and the pool was full of witnesses.

He scanned the backyard fence, considering the nuclear option: walking home and pretending he'd never come. That's when he saw it—a **fox**, sleek and russet, watching him through the gaps in the wooden slats. Its eyes met Leo's, and in that moment, something ridiculous happened. They exchanged a look. A *bro, what are we doing here?* look. The fox's ear twitched, almost like a shrug, before it slipped away into the neighbor's yard.

And suddenly Leo was moving. Striding to the pool's edge, he pulled off his hat and dropped it on a chair. The air hit his hair, weirdly liberating. He didn't cannonball or make a scene—just stepped forward and let gravity do the rest.

The shock of cold **swimming** water knocked the breath out of him, but he surfaced laughing. Jordan glanced over, actually looking at him. "Finally! We were wondering if you were part mermaid or something."

"Nah," Leo said, treading water and feeling lighter than he had in months. "Just had a encounter with some wildlife. Needed to process."

"Wildlife?" Marcus raised an eyebrow. "At a pool party?"

"Long story." Leo grinned. "But honestly? Best advice I got all day."