Cable Knit Confidence

Maya's phone buzzed with the third text in five minutes. "You coming?? Everyone's asking about you."

She stared at her reflection, fingers clutching the vintage cable-knit sweater she'd thrifted specifically for tonight. Her first real house party. The one where Leo would definitely be there. The one she'd been overthinking for literally seventy-two hours straight.

Water spilled from her shaky hands as she reached for her phone — right onto the sweater. Perfect.

"MAYA! Your friends are here!" her mom shouted from downstairs.

She grabbed a different shirt, heart running a marathon against her ribs. The old familiar spiral: what if she said something awkward? What if nobody talked to her? What if Leo thought she was weird? The sweater had been her armor. Now she was just... Maya. Regular, awkward, nobody Maya.

Outside, Jordan's beat-up Honda waited at the curb. "You coming or what? We're gonna be late."

The party was already in full swing when they arrived. Music thumped through the floorboards. People she barely recognized from school were scattered across the living room, red cups in hand, laughing like they'd known each other forever.

And there was Leo, near the makeshift DJ setup, looking effortlessly good in a flannel that probably cost more than her entire wardrobe.

Maya's chest tightened. She turned toward the kitchen to escape.

"Hey, you're Maya, right?"

She spun around. Leo. Standing there. Actually talking to her.

"Uh, yeah," she managed. "Hi."

"Cool sweater earlier," he said. "At school. I was gonna say something but... you know. Anyway, you want some water? They've got sodas and stuff too."

Maya blinked. He'd noticed? He'd actually NOTICED?

"Water would be great," she heard herself say, and the words came out steady. Sure. Like she wasn't screaming on the inside.

They ended up talking for an hour. About music, about how weird junior year was, about how neither of them really understood why everyone acted like these parties were such a huge deal. When he mentioned he'd been running track since freshman year and was super nervous about regionals next week, Maya felt something loosen in her chest.

Leo got nervous too. Leo — perfect, effortless Leo — got nervous.

"You should come watch me sometime," he said, casual-like. "If you want."

"Yeah," Maya said, and for the first time all night, she wasn't faking her smile. "I'd really like that."

Later, Jordan found her in the kitchen, refilling her cup. "So? Leo Garcia? You were basically vibing all night."

Maya looked around at the party she'd been so terrified to attend. The room she thought would swallow her whole now felt different. Not scary. Just... people. People who got nervous too. People who noticed things.

"Yeah," she said, and the cable-knit sweater wasn't her armor anymore. She didn't need it. "Yeah. I think maybe it went okay."