The Pool Party Incident

Maya stood at the edge of the pool, clutching her phone like a lifeline. The charging cable dangled uselessly from her pocket—5%, and her ride wasn't coming for another hour.

"Hey! You gonna jump or what?"

It was Leo, the cute junior from AP Bio. His fox-ugly shirt (the kind Maya would normally roll her eyes at) was already soaked through, and water droplets clung to his eyelashes like diamonds.

"I'm good," Maya said, but her voice cracked. Smooth.

The problem wasn't the pool. It was the two-piece swimsuit underneath her oversized t-shirt. The one she'd bought online after three hours of overthinking and still felt weird about. Her mom had said she looked beautiful, but moms were legally required to say that.

Across the pool, Brianna and her squad were lounging on floats like they owned the place. Brianna caught Maya's eye and smirked. Great. Now she had to get in or look like a total loser.

Maya took a breath. Just jump. It's water. Physics will do the rest.

She jumped.

And immediately remembered, with crystal clarity, that she couldn't actually swim that well.

Her arms flailed. Her legs forgot how to leg. She went under, chlorine burning her nose, world bubbling into chaos. Something tugged at her ankle—probably a phantom, definitely her imagination—and she surfaced sputtering, grasping for anything.

Her hand closed on Leo's arm. He pulled her up, laughing, and she accidentally kicked him in the stomach.

"Whoa there," he said, but he was smiling. Not laughing at her, but with her. "You good?"

"I'm so graceful," Maya muttered, wiping water from her eyes. "This is my talent. This is what I bring to the table."

"You're like a bull in a china shop," Brianna called from her float. "But like, endearing."

Maya blinked. Was that... a compliment?

"Here." Leo held out a hand. "Let me teach you. My dad's got this technique—"

"Your dad teaches you to not drown?"

"He's a lifeguard, smart alec."

For the next twenty minutes, Maya learned to float properly while Leo patiently corrected her form. Her phone sat abandoned on the pool deck, cable coiled like a snake. Brianna and her friends actually drifted over, and suddenly Maya was part of the conversation, not the weird girl standing on the sidelines.

Later, as they sat on the edge with their feet in the water, Leo said, "You know, nobody actually cares if you can swim perfectly. We're all just trying not to look stupid."

Maya looked around. Brianna was showing off her terrible dive. Two guys were having a splash fight. Someone's phone had just slipped into the deep end.

"Yeah," Maya said, feeling something loosen in her chest. "I guess we're all just figuring it out."

"Exactly." Leo stood up. "Same time next week?"

"Maybe," she said. "If you promise not to let me drown again."

"No promises," he grinned. "But I'll bring snacks."