The Fox at Sunset Pool

I felt like a literal zombie walking into Maya's end-of-summer pool party. Finals week had absolutely wrecked me—I was running on three hours of sleep and an unholy amount of iced coffee. My brain was mush, my social battery was at 2%, and somehow I'd agreed to this.

"You made it!" Maya materialized, neon orange bikini blinding me against the deep blue water. "Come swim, loser."

"Pass," I said, clutching my oversized towel like a safety blanket. "I'm good.

Truth was, I was terrified. Swimming in front of people meant taking off my hoodie, revealing the arms I'd spent three years hiding. But also, Carter was there, and my stupid crush had decided this was the weekend to make itself known.

I escaped to the edge of the yard, needing oxygen, when something caught my eye—a fox, legit just chilling by the fence like it owned the place. It was watching me, amber eyes almost glowing in the twilight.

"That's wild," a voice said. Carter.

"Yeah," I managed. "Think it's looking for snacks."

"Or maybe it's just vibing." He handed me a drink. "You okay? You seem... I don't know, not your usual self."

"Zombie mode," I admitted. "School happened."

"Same. I've been surviving on energy drinks and panic." He smiled, and my stomach did that annoying flip thing. "Hey, my cat's been sneaking out at night. Maybe this fox is her dealer."

I laughed, surprised and genuine.

"Seriously, though." Carter gestured toward the pool. "Nobody's watching you. Everyone's too busy worrying about themselves. That's the thing about high school—we think we're the main character, but really, we're all just NPCs in each other's stories."

The fox slipped away through the fence, silent and graceful.

"You're surprisingly deep for someone at a pool party," I said.

"What can I say? I'm full of layers." He stripped down to his trunks. "Coming in? The water's actually not terrible."

I looked at the pool, at Maya laughing with her friends, at the orange-streaked sky above us. Then I dropped my hoodie.

"Fine," I said. "But if I drown, you have to explain to my mom why her only child died at a pool party."

"Deal," Carter said, and together we jumped in.