The Spy in the Shadow

Leo pulled his baseball cap low, the bill casting a shadow over his eyes like a visor against judgment. No one noticed him sitting on the pool deck, watching. That was the thing about being invisible—you could observe everything without anyone seeing you back. He felt like a spy, gathering intelligence on a species he didn't understand: teenagers who were actually, you know, *good* at being teenagers.

Take Skylar, for instance. She lounged on a pool chair like she owned the entire municipal recreation center, her wet hair slicked back, sunglasses reflecting the afternoon sun. Everyone called her "the Sphinx" behind her back because she never spoke in class but somehow knew everyone's secrets before they even told them. She was beautiful in that way that made your chest hurt, like swallowing something too big.

Leo's mom had pressed a neon orange gummy vitamin into his palm that morning—*Vitamin D for your mood, Leo, you're always inside, it's not healthy*—and the stupid thing was still dissolving on his tongue, sugary and medicinal at once. He swallowed it without thinking, the aftertaste matching the knot in his stomach.

"Hey, Hat Boy."

Leo blinked. Skylar was looking right at him, tilting her sunglasses down to reveal actual, direct eye contact.

"You've been watching us for twenty minutes," she said. "Either you're a spy, or you're waiting for someone who's not coming. Or both."

She didn't sound mean. She sounded curious, like she'd solved a puzzle and wanted to know if she'd gotten it right.

"I—" Leo started, then stopped. His hat felt suddenly ridiculous, like a costume he'd forgotten he was wearing.

"Swimming's better from the inside," Skylar said, sliding off her chair. The water rippled as she stepped in, slow and deliberate. "Unless you prefer the view from out here. Your choice."

Leo looked around. No one was watching. The chlorine smell hit him, sharp and chemical, and he realized the vitamin hadn't done a damn thing for his mood—this was just terrifying.

He took off his hat and set it on the deck.

The pool was colder than he expected, shocking him awake. Water surged around his legs, then his waist, then his chest as he waded deeper. His heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird.

"See?" Skylar grinned from the other side, treading water effortlessly. "Not so scary once you're in."

Leo's toes could barely touch bottom. He floated on his back, looking up at the ceiling, and for the first time all summer, he didn't feel like a spy watching from the shore.

He felt like someone who'd finally, finally jumped in.