Fox at the Pool Party

Maya's hair was already frizzing at the temples, and she'd only been at Tyler's pool party for twelve minutes. Perfect. Just perfect.

She hovered near the snack table, clutching a red Solo cup like it was a lifeline, watching the popular crowd splash around in the water. Somewhere among them was Jason—the boy she'd been lowkey obsessed with since September—currently being tossed into the pool fully clothed by his friends. Everyone laughed. Maya's palms sweated against her cup.

"Hey, you gonna swim or just judge us from land?"

Maya jumped. It was Riley, Jason's ex, looking annoyingly perfect in a bikini that matched her teal-streaked hair. Maya hated how Riley could pull off that color. Maya had tried blue streaks last month and ended up looking like a smurf for three weeks until her mom let her dye it back.

"Maybe," Maya mumbled.

"You should. Jason keeps asking where you are." Riley smirked. "Unless you're chicken."

Maya's heart did this embarrassing little flip thing. Jason was asking about her? Since when did Jason even know she existed?

But then she saw what was happening. Riley and her friends were doing that thing—setting up the socially awkward girl for a moment of public humiliation. Jason was beckoning her over with that smile that made half the sophomore class want to throw themselves into traffic. The other half already had.

What was the move here? If she swam over, she'd be the awkward girl who couldn't dive. If she stayed, she was the loser who couldn't take a joke.

Fox mode, she thought. Her older sister's voice in her head: *When you're cornered, don't play their game. Flip the board.*

So Maya did something completely unhinged. She dropped her cup, marched to the pool's edge, and executed the most dramatic, terrible cannonball in history—complete with a shout that was half warrior cry, half yelp.

Water everywhere. Silence. Then Jason was laughing, but not mean laughing. He was actually, genuinely laughing.

"Finally!" He swam over, hair plastered to his forehead. "We were taking bets on whether you'd make it in before sunset."

Maya surfaced, spluttering. "You what?"

"Riley said you'd bail. I said you were interesting." He tread water, grinning. "Also, that entrance? Totally ferret energy. I respect it."

"Fox," someone called. "That was fox energy."

"Whatever, same thing," Jason said. His palm brushed hers underwater—accidental or not, Maya's stomach performed a full gymnastics routine. "Anyway, you coming to Tyler's lake house next weekend? We're doing night swimming."

Maya tread water, heart pounding, hair a disaster, feeling more seen than she had in months.

"Yeah," she said, finally letting herself smile. "Yeah, I think I am."