The Pool Shot Heard 'Round the Group Chat

Marcus's iphone buzzed for the third time in five minutes. Coach Miller's texts lit up the screen: "Practice started ten minutes ago. Where r u???"

He swiped them away, too busy staring at Emma in her floral bikini across the pool. The August heat waved off the concrete, making the air shimmer. Emma was swimming laps with that effortless grace that made everything look easy—unlike Marcus, who was basically drowning in his own awkwardness.

"You gonna text her or just creep from a distance?" Tyrell said, appearing behind him with two sodas. "Bro, I've seen more game from a pine cone."

Marcus rolled his eyes. "I'm working up to it. Besides, I have baseball practice later anyway."

"You mean the practice you're currently skipping?" Tyrell raised an eyebrow. "Real smart, Martinez. Coach is gonna have you doing laps until you're swimming in your own sweat."

Then everything went sideways.

First came the shouting from Mr. Henderson's farm next door. Then the sound of splintering wood. Marcus's iphone slipped from his grip as something massive crashed through the backyard fence.

A bull. A legit, thousand-pound bull with horns that could skewer a vending machine stood at the edge of the pool, snorting and tossing dirt like it owned the place.

Emma screamed. Someone else's phone clattered into the water. The pool descended into chaos as everyone scrambled for the edges.

Marcus moved without thinking. He grabbed the pool skimmer from the deck and waved it like a baseball bat, stepping between the bull and where Emma was pulling herself out of the water.

"Hey!" he shouted, voice cracking. "Over here, you overgrown hamburger!"

The bull snorted, pawing the ground. Marcus's heart hammered against his ribs. This wasn't baseball practice where the worst thing that happened was striking out. This was actual danger.

The bull charged.

Marcus swung the skimmer like he was going for a home run, connecting with nothing but air as he dodged sideways. The bull splashed into the shallow end, confused by the water.

"Pool! Everyone out!" Marcus yelled, helping Emma over the side. Their hands touched for a split second before she scrambled up the ladder.

By the time animal control arrived, the bull was standing confused in the three-foot end, looking like a massive, angry dog. Mr. Henderson was apologizing to everyone's parents. Coach Miller's texts had stopped, probably replaced by angry voicemails.

But Emma was sitting next to him on the curb while they gave statements to the officer.

"That was... actually really brave," she said, squeezing water from her hair. "Stupid, but brave."

Marcus shrugged, trying to play it cool even though his hands were still shaking. "Baseball taught me how to swing. Just happened to have the wrong bat."

She laughed, and something in his chest did that fluttery thing that had nothing to do with nearly getting trampled.

"Hey," Emma said, pulling out her phone. "Give me your number. In case, you know, another bull shows up."

As Marcus typed his contact into her iphone, he figured missing baseball practice was totally worth it. Even if Coach made him run extra laps for a week, he'd take that trade any day.