Fox in the Palm

Maya's palms were sweating. Like, actually dripping. She wiped them on her denim shorts for the third time, knowing it was pointless but doing it anyway because that's what you do when you're fifteen and everything feels like the end of the world.

The bonfire crackled behind her, palm trees swaying against the starry California sky like they were mocking her nervousness. Everyone was already drunk on cheap beer or the thrill of breaking curfew. Maya was just drunk on anxiety.

Because Tyler was there.

Tyler with his messy hair and that fox-emoji aesthetic, half-cocky smirk and half genuine smile, like he knew something you didn't but wanted you to figure it out. His contact name in her phone was literally "🦊 Tyler" because she'd been obsessing over him since October and hadn't made a single move.

Her iphone buzzed in her pocket. Heart hammering, she checked.

Party's 🔥. Where u at?

From Tyler.

Maya stared at the screen like it contained the secrets to the universe. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, then typed, then backspaced. What was she supposed to say? 'I've been standing behind this palm tree for twenty minutes because I'm scared to talk to you'?

"You're Maya, right?"

She jumped. Tyler was standing right there. Close enough that she could see the faint scar through his eyebrow, smell the woodsmoke and something distinctly him.

"Yeah," she squeaked. Cool. So cool.

"Cool emoji," he nodded toward her hand. She looked down. She was still clutching her phone like a lifeline, the fox emoji from his contact name visible on her lock screen.

Her face burned. "It's, uh, for luck. My cousin's obsessed with foxes."

"Nice." His grin widened. "Hey, want to get away from the noise? There's this spot down the beach..."

She'd never moved so fast in her life.

Later, walking home with sand in her shoes and a new contact in her favorites, Maya realized something: her phone had died two hours ago. She'd been clutching a black screen the whole time, talking to Tyler about everything from horror movies to why palm trees were actually kind of sinister.

Whatever. She'd explain tomorrow.

Her palm buzzed with phantom vibrations, but this time, she wasn't nervous at all.