(Aaron's PoV - 10 years old)

I groaned as my mom continued to lather my arms with sunblock. The heavy 100 SPF paste might not have been so irritating if it actually did the job it claimed to do.

"It isn't gonna work anyway," I reminded her through a whine.

"Nonsense, Aaron," she chided, moving closer up to my shoulders. "Sunblock always protected me when I was a kid," she added, clearly ignoring the fact that with her sand colored hair and light, but not pale, skin, I didn't look very much like her.

"I don't even want to go anyway," I pressed further. "Why can't I stay home?"

"I already explained," she continued. "I'm having guests over—"

"But I can stay in my room," I blurted. "There's no point in me going."

She snapped the sunblock lid shut. "What have I told you about interrupting?" she scolded. "You might not be able to swim with them, but you can still spend time with your classmates. The Richards' were kind enough to host." She pondered for a moment. "I suppose we really should put you in swim lessons one of these days."

I debated protesting the idea, but figured it would likely be counterproductive. Any thought my mom ever had about me would be gone within a few moments.

Before heading to the car, I grabbed a T-shirt, hoping to at least spare my shoulders from my skin's soon-to-be-burnt fate.

It was a rather short drive to Lindsay Richards' house. Her family was hosting the 5th grade end of the year party since they had an in-ground pool. Just as I anticipated, the entire event was outside, confined to the fenced in pool area.

I was all but touching the fence, hoping to create as much distance as possible between myself and the water.

Relief swept over me as I saw Connor at the other end of the pool, but I stopped myself from walking over upon seeing that he was talking to Lindsay Richards.

He'd been crushing on her all year. I couldn't for the life of me understand why he would like a girl, but I didn't want to ruin things for him.

In my silence, the heat on my forearms and wrists became more prominent. Just from a glance I could've sworn I had less freckles two minutes ago.

I wanted to talk to Connor.

I am capable of letting him do his own thing for an afternoon, I told myself to the point of beratement.

I fidgeted with my hands. I am not going to bother him. I am not so pathetic that I need to be with him every second.

My lies were interrupted by tugging at the sleeve of my shirt. I looked up to see my classmate, Joey Robinson.

"What's with the clothes, Aaron?"

"I just don't have a swimsuit," I mumbled, slowly trying to inch away. His presence was starting to draw the attention of two more of our classmates. "And I just don't want to get wet because I have somewhere I have to be after this," I added, hoping I wasn't stammering through my fake excuse.

He gave a small laugh. "That'll make this all the more fun then."

I felt him grip around my bicep. "Let go," I urged, but that just seemed to make him squeeze tighter. The other two guys joined in, dragging me closer to the edge of the pool.

No! No! No!

Just tell them you can't swim—

—That'll make me look like a baby—

Who knows if they'd even stop?

My surroundings became cloudy and my thoughts raced around until I finally hit the water.

I tried screaming, but it wasn't long before I inhaled a bunch of pool water.

How does this work? I splashed around, frustrated, continuously bobbing above and below the surface. Though my eyes stung and my vision was blurry, after a few rounds, I recognized Connor right in front of me. I knew it was him. It had to be him. Instinctively, I latched onto him, desperately hoping I wouldn't cause both of us to sink.

I don't know if it was the fear or the water in my eyes and ears, but everything seemed hazy and muffled. I think I heard laughing. I think I heard yelling.

Somehow Connor had managed to make it to the edge and helped guide my hands to a side ladder. I gasped and coughed several times upon reaching the ground.

After pulling himself out, he grabbed my wrist. "Come on," he said, leading me. He unlocked the fence from the inside and found a spot for us to sit. I, however, laid down in the grass from exhaustion.

After several moments, he spoke up. "I didn't expect you to come here. You know, considering that direct sunlight and pools are among your least favorite things."

"My mom made me come," I explained. "You know how she loves any excuse that gets me out of the house."

He shifted awkwardly. "Why didn't you just come hang out with me?" he asked.

I sighed. "You were finally getting the chance to talk to Lindsay Richards. I didn't want to mess things up for you."

He shrugged before laying down next to me. "She's great. But you're better."

I let a few more moments pass before speaking up. "Thanks for helping me. It felt like a long time, but I'm pretty sure you actually got to me really fast, especially considering that you didn't know I was even here in the first place."

"I recognized you right away," he said.

"Cuz of my hair?" I guessed.

"Yeah." The slight delay in his response and subsequent smirk made me realize that it was probably my screaming that he actually recognized.

Connor made a fist. "I wanted to punch Joey Robinson in his stupid face." After a short pause, he finished. "But that would've left nobody to help you."

I gave him a small smile. "Someday we're gonna get bigger and then nobody's gonna be able to pick on us anymore."