It started as a stupid dare—climb the fence, sneak into the pool, prove you weren’t a coward. Easy, right? Except the second your foot hit the damp tiles, they betrayed you. One wrong step, a sharp gasp, and then—splash.

Cold water swallowed you whole. Your limbs flailed before you broke the surface, gasping, your heart hammering in your chest. The night air was sharp against your skin, but before you could fully grasp what just happened, you realized—

You wasn’t alone.

Someone was in the water. A boy. He moved through it effortlessly, like he belonged there, his strokes smooth and powerful. He hadn’t noticed you at first, too lost in his own rhythm, but then he stopped. Lifted his head.

Your eyes met.

For a moment, silence. Just the soft lapping of the water between you. His dark eyes flickered with something—confusion? Annoyance? Amusement? You couldn’t tell. You only knew you were caught.

He didn’t say a word.

Neither did you.

Then, without hesitation, he turned and swam away, disappearing into the quiet ripples of the pool.