The Dog Who Couldn't Swim

The text message lit up Maya's phone at 2 AM. 'Pool party tomorrow. Everyone going. You coming?'

Maya stared at her ceiling. Pool party. Code for 'embarrass yourself in front of the entire sophomore class.' She'd managed to avoid swimming situations for two years now, ever since The Incident at summer camp when she'd frozen at the dock's edge while everyone else splashed like it was nothing.

Her mom's voice drifted through the door. 'Maya, honey, can you take Buster to the park? He's been cooped up all week.'

Buster. The family's golden retriever. A dog who somehow loved everything except water—the complete opposite of Maya's brother, who was basically a fish in human form. The irony wasn't lost on her.

'Sure,' Maya called back, scrolling through her texts. Six thumbs-up emojis to the pool party invite. Six people who'd see her awkward doggy-paddle if she actually went.

Buster greeted her with his usual enthusiasm, tail thwacking against the hallway wall. But when they reached the park's pond—the one with the geese that never shut up—Buster planted his paws. Hard.

'What's wrong, buddy?' Maya crouched down. Buster stared at the water like it might jump out and bite him.

And that's when it clicked.

The next day, Maya showed up at the pool party. Everyone was already in the water, laughing, playing chicken, existing in their element while she stood at the edge in her oversized t-shirt.

'Maya!' called Chloe, who'd been her lab partner last year. 'You coming in or what?'

Maya took a breath. 'Actually, I wanted to show you guys something.'

She pulled out her phone and opened the video she'd recorded that morning. It showed Buster—Buster!—wading into the pond, then actually swimming, his golden fur slicked back, paddling toward a thrown tennis ball like he'd been doing it his whole life.

'Wait,' Chloe said, 'your dog SWIMS?'

'Yeah,' Maya said. 'He was terrified of water. But we figured out he just needed to go at his own pace.' She gestured toward the pool. 'So, like, no pressure or anything, but if a literal rescue dog can overcome his fear...'

Someone splashed water at her. Then another splash. Soon she was being pulled in by three different people, and maybe she wasn't the strongest swimmer, and maybe she'd need practice, but as she doggy-paddled alongside Chloe, watching her friends crack jokes about Buster being braver than both of them, Maya thought maybe this wasn't so bad.

Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is get in the water.