Chlorine Burn

Maya's fingers looked like old orange peels. Fourth day of swim practice in a row, and the chlorine had already begun its slow digestion of her skin. She watched from the locker room bench as Chloe—queen of the sophomore pyramid—adjusted her perfect ponytail in the mirror.

"You coming to Jake's party?" Chloe asked, not even turning around.

Maya's stomach did that flippy thing it always did when Chloe actually acknowledged her existence. "Probably."

"Cool. Bring snacks." Chloe swept out like she owned the air itself.

Maya's phone buzzed. Unknown number: I know what you did.

She froze. Then: Chill, it's Kai. Saw your Insta story about the swim meet. You looked fast.

Maya typed back, Who is this?

Kai from the math team? We sat next to each other last year?

Oh. Right.

The texts kept coming throughout practice. Kai was funny, weirdly specific. He knew she liked orange soda. He knew she secretly watched The Bachelor with her mom. He knew she'd placed third at regionals last year but never told anyone.

By Friday, Maya had spiraled into a full-on investigation routine. She'd become a low-key spy, tracking Kai through the school hallways, watching from behind her locker door as he high-fived friends in the courtyard. Normal teenage boy stuff. But the texts kept coming, always somehow knowing exactly what she was thinking.

Jake's party was exactly the disaster Maya expected. Cheap beer, too-loud music, couples making out in corners like it was their job. She parked herself by the snack table, clutching a warm orange soda like a shield.

"You looked fast at practice today."

She spun around. Kai. Taller than she remembered, dark hair falling over his eyes, holding—what else—an orange soda.

"You've been watching me?" The words came out sharper than she meant.

Kai's face turned the color of a bad sunburn. "No—I mean, I—my little sister's on the swim team too. JV. She told me about you. You're like, her favorite."

Maya stared. "Your little sister?

"Lena. The one with the goggles covered in sparkly stickers? She thinks you're literally the best swimmer ever."

Oh. Oh.

Maya felt the pyramid shift. All week she'd been climbing toward Chloe's approval, terrified of falling down the ranks. But somewhere along the line, she'd accidentally become someone else's hero.

"Tell Lena I said hi," Maya said, and for the first time all week, her smile reached her eyes.

Kai's shoulders dropped three inches. "Yeah. Okay. I will."

They ended up on the back porch, talking until 3 AM about everything and nothing. The social pyramid could wait. Maya had better things to climb.