The Spy Who Learned to Swim

I positioned myself behind the concession stand at the municipal pool, feeling like the world's worst undercover operative. My mission: avoid Jordan while pretending I didn't care that he was there. My **hair**, frizzy from the humidity and definitely not beach waves, was already giving me away.

Jordan sat with his friends near the deep end, laughing at something. I sank lower in my oversized T-shirt, the **water** from my spilled soda soaking through the fabric. Perfect.

"You've been spying on him for twenty minutes," Maya said, appearing beside me with two snow cones. "It's getting weird."

"I'm not spying," I lied. "I'm conducting surveillance. There's a difference."

"You're levying heavy tax on your own dignity." She handed me a cherry snow cone. "Also, there's a literal giant inflatable **sphinx** floating in the pool, and you haven't even noticed."

I looked. Sure enough, a massive plastic sphinx with the face of a disappointed pharaoh drifted aimlessly toward the diving board. Some younger kids were trying to climb on it while lifeguards shouted instructions nobody followed.

"That is deeply cursed," I said.

"It's been terrorizing the shallow end all day." Maya followed my gaze toward Jordan. "You know what else is cursed? Waiting for him to notice you while you hide behind a snack stand."

"I'm working up to it."

"You've been working up to it since seventh grade." Maya finished her snow cone. "I'm going in. You coming?"

"I'm good here."

"You're not good here. You're seventeen and hiding behind a pretzel cart." She grabbed my hand. "Get in the pool. I'll create a distraction."

"Maya, no—"

"MAYA YES." She marched toward the sphinx like it had personally offended her.

I watched, horrified, as she climbed onto the inflatable and started striking poses like it was America's Next Top Model. Jordan and his friends looked over. Some people actually started cheering.

Maya caught my eye and gestured aggressively at the **water**.

So I jumped in.

The shock of cold **water** knocked the air out of me, but somehow, it also knocked something loose. I surfaced, spluttering, to find Jordan swimming toward me.

"Your friend's a legend," he said, treading water beside me. "She just dethroned the sphinx."

"She has zero respect for ancient monuments," I said, which was stupid but it made him laugh.

"I was going to come say hi earlier," he admitted, "but you looked busy. Behind the pretzel stand."

"Conducting surveillance," I said automatically, then immediately regretted it.

Jordan grinned. "On what?"

"Honestly? My own dignity."

"Well, spy less," he said. "Swim more. We're doing chicken fights in ten minutes. You in?"

The inflatable sphinx drifted past us, its painted face somehow looking less judgmental than before. My **hair** was wrecked. I had chlor **water** up my nose. Maya was taking bows on the pool deck.

"I'm in," I said.

Finally, I wasn't watching from the sidelines anymore.