The Cannonball Incident

Pool parties at Jake's house were legendary. Mostly because Jake's parents were never home, and his dad had one of those above-ground pools that looked like it could tip over if everyone jumped at once. Still, it was where the cool kids gathered, and Maya had spent two weeks psyching herself up to actually go.

"You got this," she whispered to her reflection, adjusting her bikini top. "Just be chill. Be mysterious. Don't cannonball into the shallow end like last time."

She walked in like she owned the place, playlist blasting through her earbuds—which immediately tangled around a lawn chair's rusty cable. She faceplanted. Naturally.

"Whoa, smooth entrance," called Tyler, which would've been devastating if Maya hadn't already accepted her role as the human equivalent of a Vine fail compilation.

She recovered, sort of, and spent the next hour pretending to check her phone while everyone else played some complicated game involving volleyballs and screaming. She was about to bail when she noticed sophomore Sadie sitting alone on the pool steps, tracing patterns on the surface.

Maya knew Sadie. Sort of. They'd shared Spanish class where Sadie always sat in the back, wearing oversized hoodies and speaking approximately twice per semester.

"Hey," Maya said, sliding into the water nearby. "Hot enough for ya?" Wow, immediately cringe. Why did adults say this? Why was she becoming an adult?

Sadie looked up, surprised. "Yeah. I mostly just come for the free snacks."

"Valid." Maya paused. "You know what's weird? Nobody's actually doing anything cool. They're all just performing coolness."

Sadie cracked a smile. "Like that cable tripping you earlier? That was way more entertaining than Tyler trying to impress everyone with his cannonballs for the millionth time."

They bonded over mutual awkwardness and the universal truth that high school was mostly just everyone pretending to understand social cues they definitely didn't. By the time Jake's bear of a dad showed up early and broke everything up, Maya had gained a real friend instead of just another follower.

"Pool party next Friday?" Sadie asked. "My house. My parents'll be there though. Actually present."

Maya laughed. "A boring pool party? Sounds perfect."