The Splash That Changed Everything

The pool party at Jake's house was supposed to be chill — just the squad vibing before junior year officially kicked our asses. But nope. Drama found us like always.

"Dude, are you seriously gonna play padel in that?" Maya pointed at my vintage tee, her iPhone already recording for her story. "You're gonna sweat through it in two seconds."

"It's called athletic aesthetic, look it up," I shot back, though my palms were already sweating. Not because of the heat — August in LA was basically living inside a microwave — but because Aiden was walking toward us. Aiden, who'd barely acknowledged my existence since we made out at summer camp and he'd promptly ghosted me.

The padel court sat right next to the pool, a genius/terrible design choice. Jake tossed me a racquet. "You and Aiden versus me and Maya. Losers jump in."

Perfect. Just perfect.

We played. I tried to focus on the game, but Aiden kept giving me these looks that made my stomach do actual gymnastics. Every time our fingers brushed grabbing the ball, the air between us felt charged, like static before a storm.

Then it happened. Aiden went for a save, tripped over my foot, and crashed directly into the pool.

Complete silence for exactly three seconds.

Then everyone lost it. Maya was cackling, Jake was crying, even Aiden started laughing as he surfaced, soaked and pathetic. But then he locked eyes with me and said, "You coming in or what?"

Before I could process, he grabbed my hand and pulled. I hit the water with an undignified shriek, and when I came up, he was right there.

"So," he said, tucking a piece of wet hair behind my ear. "About camp..."

His palm against my cheek, water dripping everywhere, Maya definitely recording this whole interaction on her iPhone. And honestly? High school's gonna be a mess. But suddenly I was ready for it.