Foxfire and Orange Skies

Maya dragged herself through third period like a **zombie**, her brain fried from staying up until 3 AM finishing her AP History essay. The hallway fluorescents buzzed overhead as she shuffled toward her locker, barely registering the chaos around her.

"You look dead," said Kai, leaning against the adjacent locker with his signature **orange** beanie pulled low. He was flipping a zombie-themed keychain between his fingers.

"Thanks, Kai. Really boosting my confidence there." Maya punched her locker combination, missing twice. "Exams are literally killing me."

"That's **bull**," Kai grinned. "You're gonna crush it. You always do."

Maya's stomach did that annoying flutter thing it always did around him. She'd been crushing on Kai since freshman year, while he remained completely oblivious. Typical.

Her phone buzzed. A group chat notification from the varsity squad—the same group that had casually invited her to sit at their table yesterday after she'd helped Chloe with her calculus homework. Maya still couldn't believe it. Her social stock was actually rising.

"Party at Tyler's tonight," Kai said, reading her screen over her shoulder. Too close. She could smell his cedar shampoo. "You going?"

"I don't know..." Maya hesitated. Parties weren't really her scene. Too many people, too much pressure to be cool.

"Come on." Kai nudged her arm. "I'll be your **fox** in the hen house. I'll run interference if you get stuck talking to someone boring."

Maya laughed despite herself. "Since when are you a fox?"

"Since I helped you escape that awkward convo with Mr. Harrison about his stamp collection last week. You owe me."

"Fair." Maya considered. The old Maya would've made up an excuse about studying. But something had shifted lately—maybe it was the way Chloe and the others had actually seemed interested in her opinions for once. Maybe she was done being the quiet girl in the background.

"Fine," she said. "But if I need an exit strategy, you're creating a distraction. I don't care how you do it."

"Deal." Kai's grin widened. "Pick you up at seven?"

Maya's heart did that flutter thing again. She pulled her locker door open and grabbed her history textbook, suddenly feeling a lot more awake than she had five minutes ago.

"Seven it is."