The Bull in the Pool

Jordan's heart hammered against his ribs like a foul ball smashing into a catcher's mitt. The moment he'd been dreading all summer was here: the Wilsons' annual pool party.

"Bro, you good?" Marcus asked, nudging him. "You look like you're about to throw up."

"Fine," Jordan lied, gripping his iPhone like a lifeline. Seven unsolicited texts from Maya lit up his screen.

*Are you coming?* *Everyone's asking about you.* *Don't be weird.*

The backyard buzzed with energy. Kids cannonballed into the **pool**, music thumped, and somewhere someone was definitely live-streaming the whole thing. Jordan spotted Maya immediately—her laugh cutting through the noise, surrounded by the popular crowd. She caught his eye and waved, and his stomach did this nervous flutter thing that was definitely not chill.

He headed toward the snack table, desperate for an excuse not to cannonball immediately. That's when he noticed it: a massive, emerald chunk of **spinach** wedged between his front teeth.

"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered, frantically trying to dislodge it with his tongue.

Then he heard it—Maya's voice behind him. "Jordan! Hey!"

He froze. This was it. The moment his social death would be complete.

But then something wild happened. Mr. Wilson, Maya's dad, came tearing around the corner in his weird **baseball** uniform (yes, the man refused to wear anything else), shouting, "THE **BULL** IS LOOSE!"

Jordan turned. A massive **bull**—yes, an actual bull—stood by the pool gate, looking confused but determined. Someone had left the farm gate open down the road.

Chaos erupted. Kids scrambled. Phones flew out. Jordan spun around, and there was Maya, eyes wide, grabbing his hand. "Run!"

They bolted together, dodging through the crowd, the bull trotting curiously after them like an oversized puppy. They ended up trapped by the deep end, the bull snorting at them from five feet away.

Maya turned to Jordan, breathless, and started laughing. "This is literally the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to me."

"Wait," Jordan said, finally getting the spinach out with his tongue. "You're embarrassed? I've had green stuff in my teeth for twenty minutes."

Maya stared at him, then dissolved into laughter. "I was trying to figure out how to tell you. I didn't want to make it weird."

The bull let out a satisfied grunt and wandered off toward the cooler.

"So," Maya said, still holding his hand. "You wanna just hang back here? Away from the chaos?"

"Yeah," Jordan said, his heart finally hammering for a different reason. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Sometimes the worst moments become the best ones. Sometimes a bull at a pool party changes everything. And sometimes, just sometimes, having spinach in your teeth isn't the disaster you think it is.