Summer Static

Marcus stood at the edge of the pool, clutching his phone like a lifeline. The **water** glittered below him, all blue chlorine and bright sunlight reflecting off the surface. But Marcus wasn't thinking about swimming. He was thinking about how everyone else was already in, laughing and splashing like this was just another Saturday.

"Yo, Marcus!" called Jenna from the deep end, her wet hair slicked back. "You coming in or what?"

Marcus swallowed hard. His cousin's pool party was supposed to be his chance to finally fit in with Jenna's crowd, but instead he was just standing there like a total dork. Then his eyes landed on the snack table and the single, lonely slice of **papaya** sitting on a paper plate. Nobody had touched it all day.

"I dare you," said Tyler, Jenna's annoyingly cute friend, swimming up to the edge. "Eat that papaya and I'll jump in with my clothes on."

The challenge hung in the air. Marcus could feel everyone watching. He grabbed the papaya slice and took a bite—and immediately regretted everything. It tasted like wet soap mixed with old bananas. His face must have shown it because the whole group cracked up.

"Bro, that's straight **bull**," Tyler said between laughs. "I never said I'd do it."

Marcus threw the rest at him—and missed. Tyler dodged, his elbow catching the loose TV **cable** that ran along the patio fence. The cable snapped with an audible pop, and the outdoor TV flickered and died, cutting off the music mid-song.

Everyone froze. Then Jenna started laughing so hard she snorted water. Tyler pulled himself up, soaked and guilty, while Marcus realized with a jolt that he wasn't the awkward one anymore. He was the guy who'd taken the weird fruit dare, the guy who'd accidentally killed the party music, the guy who'd made Tyler of all people look like a fool.

"My bad," Marcus said, grinning despite himself. "But you still gotta jump in with your clothes on."

"Deal." Tyler pulled his shirt over his head. "But next time, we're doing mango."

Marcus jumped into the water, and for the first time all day, he wasn't worried about fitting in. He was just part of the group.