Zombie Mode at the Pool

I was running on three hours of sleep and pure anxiety—basically a zombie at a pool party. Jordan's text had said "swim @ my place 2nite" and now I was standing here in my swim trunks, feeling like every single person could see how hard I was crushing.

The orange sunset was already starting to fade behind the palm trees, throwing long shadows across the backyard. Someone had bumped the aux cable and the music died mid-chorus, leaving just the sound of water and laughter and my own heart hammering way too loud.

"You gonna get in or what?" Jordan called from the pool, grinning that stupid grin that made my brain short-circuit. Their wet hair was plastered to their forehead and I couldn't look away.

"Yeah," I managed, like a total champion. "Just. Taking it in."

Behind me, someone's little brother was watching a zombie movie on the TV through the sliding glass door, which felt honestly too real. I felt like I was the one walking into something terrifying here.

The pool was that perfect temperature where you don't even notice it anymore after the first five seconds. I slid in and tried to act normal, whatever that meant, while Jordan paddled over.

"You good?" they asked, all genuine concern, and I wanted to evaporate.

"Totally," I lied. "Just tired."

"You've been kinda zombie-mode all week," Jordan said softly. And then, before I could panic: "Everything okay at home?"

And just like that, I realized they weren't talking about the text. They weren't flirting or leading me on or whatever narrative I'd built in my head. They were just being a friend.

The relief crashed over me harder than any wave. "Yeah," I said, actually meaning it this time. "Just school stress."

"Dude, same." Jordan splashed water at me. "Race you to the other side."

"You're on."

The water felt different after that—lighter, somehow. I still had a massive crush. The orange light was still making everything feel cinematic. But the zombie fog in my head had cleared, and for the first time all night, I was actually present. Sometimes that's enough.