Fox at the Bonfire

The bonfire crackled against the inky black sky, sparks drifting up like fireflies trying to escape. I stood near the **water**, my bare toes digging into cool sand, watching everyone else live their best lives.

My best friend Avery was across the beach, laughing with the popular crowd like she'd been part of it forever. Ever since she'd gotten invited to Chloe's party last weekend, she'd been different. Distant. Like I was somehow embarrassing now.

I looked down at my hand. My **palm** was sweaty—gross—and I wiped it on my shorts. Avery and I had been inseparable since seventh grade. We'd promised to stay friends through high school no matter what. Promised we wouldn't become those people who ditched their real friends for a cooler crowd.

So much for promises.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out—5 percent. Of course. I'd forgotten my charging **cable** at home, because why would I need it when I was just coming to a beach bonfire I didn't even want to attend?

"Whatever," I muttered, tossing it back in my pocket. Let it die. It wasn't like anyone was texting me anyway.

That's when I saw it—a flash of rust-colored fur near the **palm** trees at the edge of the beach. A **fox**. It stood still for a second, watching me with intelligent amber eyes, before slipping silently into the shadows.

I'd never seen a fox this close to the beach before. It felt like seeing something magical, like the universe had sent me a sign. Even wild animals knew when they didn't belong somewhere. They just left. No drama, no trying to fit in where they weren't wanted.

"Hey." A voice behind me made me jump.

It was Sam from my English class. The quiet one who always sat in the back, always reading.

"Saw the **fox** too," he said, nodding toward the trees. "Pretty cool, right? They're usually nocturnal. Must be hungry."

"Yeah," I said, surprised. "I didn't think they came this close to the beach."

"Animals go where they need to." He shrugged. "Better than staying somewhere they don't fit."

Something about the way he said it made me think he wasn't just talking about the fox.

"Want to walk down to the **water**?" he asked. "The tide's coming in."

So we walked. And talked. About English class (we both hated the Romeo and Juliet unit), about music (he liked the same indie bands as me), about how weird it was that freshman year was almost over and we still felt like we didn't know anyone.

By the time we got back to the bonfire, my phone was dead. And honestly? I didn't care.

Avery waved at me from across the fire, looking like she wanted me to come join her and the popular crowd. But I just shook my head and kept walking.

Some friends drift away. Some foxes appear when you least expect them. And sometimes the best people are the ones you never noticed until you stopped looking at everyone else.

Sam tossed me a soda. "So," he said. "There's this indie show next weekend. You wanna go?"

The old Quinn would've worried about what Avery would think. The new Quinn just smiled.

"Yeah," I said. "I'd love that."