Wettmelons (2024)

“Welcome aboard,” she said, and splashed him.

He smiled. A real one. Then, he did something unexpected. He pushed off his blue ring, let it drift away, and grabbed the edge of her chipped watermelon.

“You did it!” Maya yanked her into a hug. “You absolute maniac.” WettMelons

There was a beat of silence, filled by the lapping of water and the distant crackle of a bonfire.

That night, the town held its annual Moonlight Float. Inflatables of every shape and size bobbed on the dark water, strung with battery-operated lanterns. Selene clung to a lopsided watermelon float—a chipped, inflatable relic Maya had dubbed “The WettMelon.” “Welcome aboard,” she said, and splashed him

“Can I join the WettMelons crew?” he asked.

Leo Castellano. He’d just moved to town, all sharp elbows and quiet eyes. He was floating on a simple blue ring, a book balanced on his chest, trying to read by the lantern light. Then, he did something unexpected

“WETTMELONS!” she shrieked, the sound gurgling out of her.

He closed his book. “Why?”

Selene looked around. At Maya, who was locked in an epic inflatable orca joust with a kid in a pirate ship. At the elderly woman doing gentle backstrokes, singing show tunes. At the chaos, the joy, the complete and utter weirdness.

A few heads turned. A cluster of middle schoolers pointed. The lifeguard, a guy with sunglasses so cool they looked illegal, cracked a smile. It was horrifying. It was liberating.