Fox in the Feed

Lena's thumbs shook as she refreshed Instagram for the thousandth time. There it was — Maya's papaya selfie from the beach party, glowing with that filter Lena could never master. Three hundred likes. Meanwhile, Lena's last post had cracked forty.

"You straight up stalking her again?" Riley asked, dropping onto the locker room bench beside her. Riley, with her stupid perfect eyeliner and her dad's hand-me-down iPhone 14 Pro that Lena's parents would never spring for.

"Not stalking," Lena muttered, locking her phone. "Just... research."

"Research," Riley repeated, deadpan. "Cool word for spy behavior." She lowered her voice. "Fox is going to be at Jackson's tonight. You coming or what?"

Fox. Maya's nickname — something about her hair color and being "sly as hell" at parties. The girl everyone orbitied like she had her own gravitational pull.

"I can't," Lena said. "Mom's making me bear it through another family dinner. Uncle Rico's in town."

"Bro, that's rough." Riley winced. "Last time your uncle Rico was here, he made you try actual papaya because 'it builds character.'"

"And I threw up in the bushes," Lena reminded her. "Core memory."

The warning bell rang. Riley stood up, checking her reflection in her phone camera. "Look, Jackson's starts at nine. No pressure, but... Fox asked about you."

Lena's heart did this embarrassing flutter thing. "Asked what?"

"If you were coming. She said your story from last weekend was actually funny." Riley grinned. "Text me if you escape. I'll save you a spot."

Lena sat there as the room emptied, phone burning in her hand. She could do this — be the girl who showed up to parties, who made conversation, who didn't overanalyze every text like she was defusing a bomb.

At dinner, Uncle Rico told the same stories from Ecuador while Lena's mom proudly placed a sliced papaya on the table like it was a religious artifact. Lena ate it without complaining. She wasn't that awkward middle schooler anymore.

At 8:47, she texted Riley: I'm coming.

When she walked into Jackson's basement an hour later, Fox was in the corner, laughing at something Lena couldn't hear. She looked up, caught Lena's eye, and smiled.

"You made it," Fox said, like she'd been waiting.

Lena's phone stayed in her pocket all night.