Catfish, Crushes, and Kinetic Secrets

Maya pressed her phone against her chest like it held state secrets—which, technically, it did. She'd been spying on Jordan's finsta for twenty minutes straight, timing her likes to hit exactly when he'd posted, desperate not to seem desperate.

"You're doing it again," Chloe said from her bed, barely looking up from her own phone. "That's not stalking, that's research."

"Whatever." Maya tossed her pillow at her best friend. "At least I don't still sleep with Mr. Whiskers."

"First of all, his name is CATHERINE, and she provides emotional support."

They both dissolved into giggles, the kind that made your stomach hurt and forgot why you were even stressed. That's what she loved about Chloe—how she could bear all of Maya's overdramatic problems without making her feel pathetic.

The door creaked open. Maya's mom stood there with THAT face. The one that meant someone had violated the family pyramid scheme of communication.

"Maya, sweetie, we need to talk about your chemistry grade."

Maya groaned so loud the cat (the actual one, not Catherine the stuffed monstrosity) skittered under the bed. "Can this wait until I'm not having an existential crisis?"

"Honey, your father and I just think—"

"I know, I know. You think I'm not living up to my potential. You think I spend too much time on my phone. You think—"

"We think you're unhappy." Her mom's voice softened. "And we want to help."

Maya's throat tightened. Because here's the thing about parents—they saw everything but understood nothing. They saw the grades and the phone addiction and the closed door. They didn't see how it felt to be fifteen and constantly performing for an audience that never clapped.

She looked at Chloe, who was awkwardly pretending to be very interested in ceiling texture. At Jordan's profile, still open on her screen. At Catherine, staring judgmentally from Chloe's pillow.

"I'm fine," Maya said, because that's what you said when you were absolutely, definitely not fine. "Just... stressed. About everything."

Her mom hesitated, then nodded. "Okay. But we're here. Always."

After she left, Chloe rolled onto her side. "That was brutal."

"Yeah." Maya picked up her phone, then set it down again. "Hey Chloe?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for..." She waved at everything. "This."

Chloe grabbed Catherine and waved the stuffed cat's paw. "Catherine says you're welcome, and also you should text Jordan already before you overthink it into another dimension."

Maya laughed. And for the first time all week, it wasn't performative.