Fox in the Chicken Coop

Maya's phone buzzed again. Another snap from Kai—perfect teeth, perfect life, perfect everything. She groaned and buried her face in her pillow, her german shepherd mix, Buster, whining sympathetically beside her.

"You good, M?" her little brother Leo popped his head in, holding their cat, Mittens, like a baby. "Mom's asking about your college apps again."

"Tell her I'm busy having an existential crisis," Maya mumbled into her comforter.

"Lowkey feel that," Leo said, ditching the cat and jumping onto her bed. "But also, aren't you supposed to be at Jordan's? You said you were 'totally going' three hours ago."

Maya sat up. Jordan's party. The social event of the month. Kai would be there. Everyone would be there. And here she was, having a full-on meltdown about... what, exactly?

"I'm just thinking," Maya said, grabbing her daily vitamin gummies from the nightstand. "About how Kai's probably flirting with half the senior class right now."

"So?" Leo shrugged. "You're literally the smartest person I know. And you're somehow managing to pull off straight A's while running that pet rescue Instagram account. That's gotta count for something."

Maya chewed her lip. Leo wasn't wrong. She'd poured herself into caring for every stray dog and wounded cat in their neighborhood, building a following of people who actually cared about the stuff she cared about. But somehow it never felt like enough.

"You know what your problem is?" Leo continued. "You're like a fox."

"A what?"

"A fox!" Leo said, like it was obvious. "You're all sleek and capable and clever, but you're always hiding in the bushes watching everyone else live. Meanwhile, you could literally just walk out there and own it."

Maya stared at him. "Did you just call me a fox?"

"I call 'em like I see 'em. Now go get ready. Jordan's parents are out of town and apparently someone brought a karaoke machine."

Three hours later, Maya stood in Jordan's crowded basement, watching Kai perform a very enthusiastic version of "Love Story" on the karaoke machine. Someone was definitely recording this for TikTok.

"You gonna sing?" Jordan appeared beside her, grinning. "Or just stand there looking like you're mentally calculating everyone's GPA?"

Maya laughed. "Maybe both."

"Well," Jordan said, "Kai's been asking where you are. And not in a fake-polite way. Like, genuinely asking."

Maya's heart did that stupid fluttery thing. "Really?"

"Cross my heart. Also, your pet rescue account? Kai follows it. Like, with post notifications on."

Maya blinked. "Wait, what?"

"Yeah. Saw the notification pop up on their phone earlier. You're not exactly hiding your light under a bushel, Maya. Some people are actually paying attention."

A fox, Maya thought. Leo was ridiculous, but maybe not entirely wrong. Maybe it was time to stop watching from the bushes.

She took a breath and walked toward the karaoke machine. Time to find out what happened when the fox left the chicken coop.