Papaya Summer
The county fair smelled like fried dough and desperation, exactly where I didn't want to be on a Saturday night. But Maya had texted—u coming?—and apparently my social life needed ...
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The county fair smelled like fried dough and desperation, exactly where I didn't want to be on a Saturday night. But Maya had texted—u coming?—and apparently my social life needed ...
Marcus stood at third base, sweat dripping down his temple like he was melting instead of just playing baseball. The entire eighth grade was watching, and his palms were so slipper...
My palms were sweating inside the bear costume. Like, actually dripping. I'd signed up for what I thought would be an easy summer gig—being the mascot at the neighborhood pool part...
Maya gripped her iPhone so hard her knuckles turned white. The Taylor residence pool party was in full swing — Instagram stories being snapped, Spotify playlist blasting, bodies mo...
Maya's padel racquet felt slippery. Against her. "You up?" Jake called from the other side of the court, grinning like he already knew the answer. "Yeah," Maya lied, swiping swea...
Maya stood before the mechanical bull, her curly hair frizzy from the July humidity, while her friends cheered from the sidelines. The county fair smelled like funnel cakes and des...
Maya's new green hair was supposed to be emerald. Not pond-scum green. Her mom's "all-natural" henna kit had lied. "You look like a creative thinker," her best friend Ji-hoon said...
The backyard shimmered with that particular Friday-night energy—the kind where chlorine and cheap perfume mixed with possibility. Maya clutched her solo cup like a lifeline, positi...
Maya smoothed her apron for the third time, checking her reflection in the bakery case glass. First day at Gourmet Fresh, and naturally she'd already managed to knock over a displa...
Maya's first day at Northwood High, and she'd already committed three cardinal sins before lunch. Sin one: wearing that bright orange shirt her mom swore 'popped.' It didn't pop. ...
I'm floating in the crystal-blue pool water, pretending not to notice Tyler's annoying voice droning on about his "sick summer internship" at his dad's company. My iPhone sits pool...
The sweat pooling in my palms wasn't from the heat — it was pure, unadulterated panic. My first high school party, and I was already cornered by Jason Miller, the self-appointed bu...