It was a hot June day, and the sun was beating down on Mrs. Noble’s swimming pool. The sharp scent of chlorine filled the air as it mixed with the light scent of Banana Boat sunscreen. It was the last day of swimming lessons, which meant everyone had to jump off the diving board. Terrified of the deep end, I had been dreading this day all week. One by one, the other kids jumped off the board with joy. A few did belly flops and made loud slaps as they hit the water. Others did tricks or flips in the air after they jumped. Some even did dives, and they slid into the water as smoothly as dolphins. As the line crept forward, my nervousness grew.

“Kristin, you’re up!” Mrs. Noble grinned.

My legs felt wobbly as I slowly walked to the diving board. I pulled goggles up to my eyes with shaking hands. My stomach started to do somersaults. I stepped up onto the rough diving board and crept to the edge. My forehead creased in worry, and I tried to hold back the tears that were forming in my eyes. I looked up at my mom standing on the deck across the pool. She was smiling down at me with an enthusiastic thumbs up. It only made me more nervous. 

The bright summer sunshine played with the water below me. It seemed so far away; I felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff. I glanced over to Mrs. Noble with worried eyes.

“You can do it, Kristin. I would never let anything bad happen to you. I’m right here. All you have to do is jump!”

I hesitated for a few more seconds before creeping even closer to the edge. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see all the other kids staring up at me with big eyes. They were all waiting to see what impressive trick I would do. My toes hung over the edge of the board, clinging around it. I swallowed hard. As I leaned forward to get one more look at the dark turquoise water below me, I started to lose my balance. I tried to grip onto the sandpapery diving board, but my toes weren’t strong enough. My arms flailed as I tumbled forward off the board. I squeezed my eyes shut tight as I plopped into the deep end. The cool water came as a shock to my body as I sank to the bottom of the pool like a boulder. Everything was quiet except for the water rushing around me. I wondered if I would ever stop sinking. Finally, the water started pushing me back up. I could feel my lungs running out of air as I floated to the surface. 

I took in a huge gulp of air once I was finally at the surface. I had gotten a lot of water in my nose, and I could feel it slip into the back of my mouth as I tried to get it out. The taste of chlorine lingered in my throat. Once I had partially caught my breath, I started paddling back to the edge of the pool. My arms felt heavier each time I pulled them out of the water, and they made loud splashes each time I brought them forwards and back into the pool. I felt like I was swimming forever. A huge wave of relief washed over me as I touched the edge of the pool with my hand.