slice of life

I look down into the water firmly clutching the metal bars next to me.
"Come on Sloan jump" says my friend Libby behind me.
She is tan with a blonde bob and freckles. She has jumped of the high dives hundreds of times this is my first.
I am terrified.
I trace my toe slowly across the board, it's rough like sand.
"You don't have to jump off if you don't want to" Libby says.
"You could walk back down if you feel like it."
I consider this and am about to turn around but then I realize You can't always run from your fears, you have to confront them eventually. I slowly walk to the board, I look down, close my eyes.
Then I jump.
I squeeze my eye shut for the few moments that I am in the air hoping that I don't die. I won't die I definitely will not
SPLASH.
The impact herts a little bit but once I am underwater it's soft and blissful. I kick down to the bottom of the pool and touch the smooth floor of the pool. I stay like that for a moment then float up to the surface to get the air that prevents me from staying at the bottom peacefully.
I burst from the water and hear the screaming and laughing of my friends, the smell of burgers and hotdogs roasting, and feel the warm summer sun on my face.
Libby stands at the edge of the pool.
"So what did you think"
" Let's do it again"
We laugh she helps me out and we walk away from the pool to the food stand to get milkshakes.