The backyard party was in full swing when the challenge was issued. It started as a joke--a debate about the durability of modern "technical" fabrics--but quickly escalated when Sam bet that his new bomber jacket could withstand anything the afternoon threw at it.
He hadn't accounted for the poolside physics of a well-timed shove.
One moment, Sam was mid-sentence, gesturing with a drink in hand; the next, the world was a rush of cool, chlorinated blue. He went under completely, the weight of his denim and the sleek black jacket pulling him deep into the water.
When he finally gripped the metal rails of the ladder to haul himself out, the transformation was total. His light blue tee was plastered to his chest, and the "indestructible" jacket was slick and heavy, dripping onto the concrete. He stood there for a second, catching his breath and blinking through his damp glasses, looking like a man who had just survived a shipwreck in his Sunday best. As the laughter of the group erupted around him, Sam just shook his head, a lopsided grin forming as he realized he'd lost the bet, but definitely won the most memorable entrance of the day.