chlorine butterflies

Maya stood at the edge of the pool, clutching her towel like a security blanket. The bleached blonde hair she'd dyed yesterday felt weird—way too bright, like she was trying too hard to fit in with Chloe's crowd. Which she was, obviously, but that didn't mean she had to look desperate about it.

"You coming in or what?" Chloe called from the water, surrounded by her gleaming squad of perfectly tanned friends.

"Yeah, just—," Maya started, but then Jason materialized beside her.

Jason. The Jason. Who she'd been lowkey obsessed with since seventh grade algebra when he let her copy his homework.

"Hey," he said. His hair was messy from swimming, droplets clinging to his lashes. Cute. Dangerously cute.

"Hey," Maya managed, suddenly hyper-aware of everything. The hair situation. The barely-there bikini. The fact she was basically holding her breath.

Chloe's cousin Nina emerged from the house with a deck of tarot cards. "Palm readings by the pool! Get your future told, five bucks!"

Jason shrugged. "Wanna do it?"

Maya's brain short-circuited. "Sure."

They sat on the patio chairs while Nina examined Jason's palm first. "You're gonna travel far," she predicted dramatically. "Maybe play college sports?"

Jason laughed. "That's vague enough to work."

Then it was Maya's turn. She extended her hand, trying not to tremble. Nina traced the lines on her palm with manicured nails.

"You're gonna take a big risk soon," Nina said. "Something that scares you but works out." She winked. "Trust me about this."

Chloe screamed from the pool, "MARCO!"

"POLO!" shouted back.

Jason stood up and held out his hand. Maya's palm fit perfectly against his, warm and solid.

"Wanna play?" he asked.

Her heart hammered. Risk. Trust Nina.

"Yeah," Maya said, letting him pull her toward the water. "Yeah, I do."

The pool felt cold and perfect. The hair didn't matter anymore. Jason smiled at her like he actually saw her.

Risk taken. Future uncertain. But the present? The present was pretty damn good.