Swimming with Foxes

The goldfish crackers were everywhere. Scattered across龙湖湖的pool deck like orange confetti, crunching underflip-flops, getting dunked in the water by accident. Typical. Just like Mia's entire summer to be this messy.

She stood by the snack table, nursing a lukewarm soda, watching everyone from her old school having the time of their lives. Jace was doing cannonballs. Chloe was flirting with some college guy. And Mia? Mia was just existing. Again.

"Nice lurking."

Mia jumped. Kai. From Wilson High. The rival school. The one everyone said had zero chill. He was grinning, holding a half-empty bag of goldfish, his hair wet and spiky from swimming.

"I'm not lurking," Mia shot back, though she totally was. "I'm... observing."

"Observing what? How many ways you can avoid actually swimming?" He raised an eyebrow. "Come on. The water's not that bad. Unless you're scared."

"I'm not scared." Liar. She was terrified of putting her body on display in a swimsuit, of judgment, of everything.

"Then prove it." Kai held up a single goldfish cracker. "I dare you. Eat this, then swim three laps with me."

Mia stared at him. "A goldfish cracker? Seriously?"

"What, you can't handle the snack?" He was teasing now, that sly fox-like glint in his eyes that made him equal parts infuriating and intriguing. "Or is it the swimming that's the problem?"

Something shifted in Mia. Maybe it was the humidity, or the way Kai's dimples showed when he smirked, or just the fact that she was tired of being the girl who watched life happen from the snack table.

She snatched the goldfish from his hand. "Watch me."

The cracker was salty and stale. She swallowed without chewing. Then she kicked off her flip-flops.

Kai's eyes went wide for a split second, like he hadn't actually expected her to do it. Then he grinned—really grinned, not the smirk this time—and sprinted toward the pool.

"Last one in does my chemistry homework!"

"You're on, fox!" Mia yelled back, running after him.

The water was shockingly cold, hitting her like a wave of everything she'd been avoiding. But when she surfaced, sputtering and gasping, Kai was already there, treading water and laughing.

"Not bad," he called over the splashes. "But you're still on lap one."

Mia dunked him. He came up sputtering, and they were both laughing, really laughing, and suddenly the pool deck with its scattered goldfish and judging eyes felt miles away.

"I'm still doing your homework," she said, splashing water at him.

"Deal." Kai swam closer, drops of water clustering on his eyelashes like stars. "But you're swimming with me tomorrow, too."

Mia's heart did something stupid and fluttery. "If you're lucky."

"I'm always lucky." His fox-grin was back, but softer this time. "Found you, didn't I?"

And just like that, Mia's messy summer didn't feel so messy anymore.