The Summer We Didn't Drown

The Friday before junior year, I found myself at Jessica's pool party, clutching a red Solo cup like it was a lifeline. I wasn't exactly popular, but my mom's friend's cousin was Jessica's aunt, so somehow I'd scored an invite.

"Yo, Marcus!" Kevin called out, doing a cannonball that sent water spraying everywhere. "Get in here, the water's sick!"

I hesitated. My dog Buster had chewed through my favorite swim trunks last week, so I was rocking these embarrassingly tight board shorts from seventh grade. But then I saw Chloe—the girl I'd been crushing on since algebra—sitting on the pool edge, legs dangling in the water.

I took a breath and jumped.

That's when Max, Jessica's weird genius older brother, cornered me by the snack table. "Marcus, my man, you ever wanted financial freedom? I'm talking about this crypto pyramid—"

"Dude," I said, grabbing a handful of chips. "I'm sixteen. I don't even have fifty bucks."

"Exactly! Perfect time to start building wealth—"

A scream interrupted him. We all turned to see Mrs. Henderson's tabby cat, Mittens, perched precariously on the diving board, hissing at Kevin who was trying to coax it down with a hot dog.

"That cat's acting like a total zombie," someone muttered.

"I got this," I said, because apparently I had zero self-preservation instincts. I climbed out of the pool, dripping wet, and approached the diving board. Mittens glared at me like I personally owed her money.

"Here kitty kitty," I tried, making clicking sounds. She arched her back and—I swear this happened—backed away toward the very edge of the board.

"Marcus, don't—" Chloe started.

Mittens slipped. Time went all slow-mo. I lunged forward, sliding across the diving board on my stomach, and grabbed the cat by the scruff before she could plunge into the deep end. We both tumbled into the water together.

When I surfaced, cat thrashing in my arms, everyone was clapping. Even Chloe was smiling. And Max, that idiot, was already pitching his pyramid scheme to someone else.

"You good?" Chloe asked, handing me a towel.

"Yeah," I said, grinning like an idiot. "Just another Friday."

Maybe high school wouldn't be so bad after all.