Balancer by Patrick Wong

nodded, unsure of what face to pull, so she dug into the nachos. She should have been thrilled that Drake had finally gotten around to asking Amy out on a date. She’d certainly heard every single detail of how it had happened earlier in the day.
    Rather than feeling alone at the party without Amy, Nicole was relieved in a way. Truth be told, she was pleased to spend time with Reilly for a change. Amy could be so high-maintenance at times. Reilly was a return to normalcy and a welcome break from Elise and Charlie and being a hero.
    Just then, a shriek went up, and a tall, skinny blond boy — who Nicole recognized as her desk partner from English class, Dean — cannonballed into the pool, sending up a torrential wave of water. The large splash made a tremendous kerplunk! and saturated all those close by. Nicole felt the cold water hit first, and within seconds her pretty navy summer dress was soaked. Laughter rang all around her, and she felt her hair clip slide down her face along with a clump of chlorine-drenched wet hair. She suspected some of her mascara may have gone that way too, and she felt grateful, at least, for the swimsuit she’d worn underneath her clothing. Half-wet, half-dry, she imagined she looked hilarious, and when Dean surfaced, he pointed at Nicole and practically choked with laughter.
    Reilly had come off little better, but she still giggled at the sight of Nicole. Nicole spent a few moments reeling, then, without a second’s more thought, she handed Reilly her drink, flung off her dress and dived in after Dean. Reilly cheered, and Nicole could hear the delighted shouts of others as she powered through the water toward Dean with uncharacteristic fury.
    Nicole thought she would probably remember the next look on Dean’s face forever. Her friend turned and stared at her, wide-eyed and, unfortunately for him, open-mouthed. She launched at him with all of her might. Further furious splashing of partygoers ensued, the result of Nicole pushing Dean firmly down and delivering the dunking of his life. A few seconds later, when Nicole was satisfied he’d splashed about long enough, she released him to the cheers of her new fans. Dean gasped for air as he crawled out of the water and out of the spotlight. Nicole coolly swam back to the pool steps.
    Vaughn was waiting for her there, standing casually in board shorts, a loose-fitting cotton shirt and flip-flops. He threw her a towel as she climbed out of the pool and tried to stifle a grin when she thanked him for helping her. Nicole uttered a feeble apology for all of the mess. She could find no trace of disapproval on Vaughn’s face.
    She received some gentle punches on her arm, a few impressed comments and one or two high-fives as she made her way to the downstairs bathroom and the party got back into full swing.
    *
    Amy was waiting outside for Nicole when she emerged, a good deal drier and warmer than before. She handed Nicole a fresh soda.
    “Was I awesome?” Nicole accepted the drink and gulped it down. Dunking taller boys in pools was thirsty work.
    “Apparently you were quite awesome.” Amy’s eyes sparkled with glee. “Dean is so busted. Drake says he’ll never hear the end of it.”
    “So you and Drake, huh?”
    “I know. He cornered me and I couldn’t get away.”
    “It must have been such a struggle!”
    “Come on, Nix,” she appealed. “He wanted to talk about tomorrow night’s date and what we’re going to see and kind of … just talk.” Amy twirled her hair around her finger. “Do you know what he said? This is so funny — you’re going to laugh …”
    Nicole fixed a smile as Amy recounted Drake’s words — illustrating them with swooping hand movements — and she dutifully laughed at the punch line. It was quite funny, but it ranked with all of the other somewhat amusing things that Drake and his friends — and now Amy — found beyond hilarious.
    Nicole wasn’t giving Amy the type of reaction she was looking for.