Goldfish in the Palm
Maya had been running late everywhere lately—late to first period, late to volleyball practice, late to growing up, basically. So when Tyler finally asked her to the spring carniva...
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Maya had been running late everywhere lately—late to first period, late to volleyball practice, late to growing up, basically. So when Tyler finally asked her to the spring carniva...
I was running late—again—to what might be the most important party of the summer. Lila's pool party. The air was thick with humidity as I sprinted toward her house, my backpack bou...
The social hierarchy at Northwood High operated like a pyramid, and I was definitely at the bottom. Freshman year felt like one long exercise in trying not to embarrass myself, whi...
Maya positioned herself behind the fake palm tree, channeling her inner spy. She'd been **running** from Connor all summer—okay, fine, sprinting in the opposite direction whenever ...
My hair was doing that thing where it looked like I'd stuck my finger in an electrical socket. This, naturally, was thirty minutes before Tyler was supposed to pick me up for our f...
Maya's thumb hovered over her iPhone screen, doom-scrolling through posts from people she barely knew. The Summer Blowout Pool Party was in full swing around her, but she felt like...
The hat was my armor—a beat-up navy blue baseball cap pulled low enough to hide behind but not low enough to look like I was trying too hard. Freshman year at Northwood High felt l...
Maya stared at her phone—dead. Again. She'd forgotten her charging cable at home, and now she was stranded in the cafeteria during fifth period lunch, completely disconnected. The ...
Marcus stood at home plate, the baseball feeling like a lead weight in his sweating palm. The entire sophomore class was watching, and he could feel his face turning that humiliati...
Maya's palms were sweating so bad she could practically water plants with them. First house party of sophomore year, and she'd already managed to make it weird. Five minutes in, sh...
Maya's vintage bucket hat wasn't just fashion—it was emotional armor. Her sister's old rave gear, complete with rainbow splatter paint and a suspicious stain that refused to wash o...
The chlorine smell hit me before I even saw the pool. Kai's parties were legendary—mostly because his parents were never home and they actually had an in-ground pool. The kind of p...