The Drowned Selfie

I swiped Jake's vintage dad hat from his room before leaving, tugging the brim low over my eyes. Total wannabe move, but today was different. Today I was actually invited to Taylor's pool party.

My iPhone buzzed in my pocket — a snapchat from Taylor asking if I was coming. "Omg yeah!" I typed back, adding three emojis for good measure. My thumb hovered over the send button. If I didn't go now, I'd never live it down.

The backyard was already packed when I arrived. Taylor's playlist bumped through the speakers, everyone in swimsuits I could never afford. I positioned myself near the deep end, phone raised, trying to capture the perfect angle. Just needed one fire selfie to prove I belonged.

"Hey!" someone called. I turned, thumbs mid-tap, and my iPhone slipped from my grasp.

Time slowed. I watched it arc through the air, splash down, and sink straight to the bottom of the pool. My entire life — my contacts, my carefully curated aesthetic, the conversation I'd been having with Maya for three weeks — gone.

"You okay?"

I looked up. It was Riley, the quiet girl from my English class, sitting on the pool edge with her legs in the water. Her hair was wet, no makeup. Real.

"My phone," I croaked. The panic rising in my chest had nothing to do with the device.

She nodded toward the pool. "Go get it."

"I can't swim."

Riley studied me for a second, then stood up. The water dripped from her skin like she'd been there for hours. She extended a hand.

"I'll teach you."

Something about the way she said it — not making fun, not weirded out, just offering.

I pulled off Jake's hat and handed it to someone random. Then I took Riley's hand and stepped into the water.

My phone stayed at the bottom of that pool for three hours. By the time Taylor's cousin dove in and retrieved it, waterlogged and dead, I'd already learned three strokes and that Riley loved the same obscure band I did.

"Worth it?" Riley asked as I toweled off, my phone dripping onto the concrete.

I looked at my useless iPhone, then at her. "Yeah." I grinned. "Totally."