The Art of Not Drowning

Leo's hat was basically a shield. If he kept the brim low enough, maybe nobody would notice him standing alone against the fence at Jessica's party. His stomach did that thing where it felt like he'd swallowed a handful of marbles.

"Hey, padel star!" someone shouted. Tyler, the baseball captain, sauntered over with that effortless confidence Leo had spent fifteen years trying to figure out how to fake. "Heard you crushed it at regionals."

"It was whatever." Leo shrugged, fingers worrying the frayed edge of his hat. "We lost in semis."

"Still." Tyler's grin was annoyingly genuine. "That's legit. Me? I'm just trying not to embarrass myself at softball while everyone actually watches." He gestured toward the pool, where a splash competition was escalating rapidly. "Water polo tryouts next week. My form is tragic."

A laugh escaped before Leo could stop it. Tyler didn't seem to notice how weird this was—the popular athlete actually talking to him like they were on the same level.

"What?" Tyler raised an eyebrow. "I'm being serious. My backstroke looks like a dying otter."

"I—" Leo started, but then he saw Maya across the yard. She was laughing with her friends near the house, and something tight twisted in his chest. He'd been spying on her from social media distance since seventh grade, leaving random likes on posts at 2 AM like some pathetic digital ghost.

"Her?" Tyler followed his gaze. "Maya? Yeah, she's cool. She does padel too, you know."

"What?" Leo's head snapped up. "Since when?"

"Since forever, bro. She plays at that club near your school. Why do you think I came over? I was gonna ask if you'd give me lessons with her." Tyler rubbed his neck, suddenly looking weirdly nervous. "She said she'd teach me if I found someone else to play with so it wouldn't be awkward."

The marbles in Leo's stomach transformed into something else—something that felt suspiciously like hope.

"Uh, yeah. I can do that."

"Sweet." Tyler gestured toward Maya. "Let's go ask her before someone else claims the guest room for seven minutes in heaven."

Leo pushed his hat back. "Yeah. Let's."