Friday Night Palm Readings

Maya's palms were sweating. Literally sweating. She rubbed them on her jeans, trying to look chill as she stood in Jenna's crowded living room, surrounded by sophomore boys she'd been crushing on since August.

"You're doing it again," whispered her best friend Kai, nodding at Maya's hands. "The nervous palm thing."

"Shut up," Maya hissed, but Kai was already drifting toward the snack table, probably to analyze the ingredients in the organic chips like the absolute nutrition nerd he was.

Maya retreated to the backyard, where a small group had gathered around萨拉, who'd brought her grandma's crystal ball and was doing "authentic palm readings." Maya watched from the sidelines, arms crossed, trying to look like she was too cool for fortune-telling but actually desperately wanting someone to tell her future was going to be okay.

"Your turn," Sara said, grabbing Maya's wrist before she could escape. "Ooh, interesting."

The whole group leaned in. Maya's stomach did that thing where it felt like it was falling through her body.

"You're bearing a heavy burden," Sara intoned, like she was in a dramatic movie. "Something you're afraid to tell anyone."

Maya froze. Because here's the thing: she WAS bearing something. A secret that had been eating her alive since that night in October when she'd almost—

A loud crash interrupted them. Jenna's cat, Mochi, had knocked over the crystal ball, which rolled across the patio and stopped against someone's Converse.

Everyone stared. Maya started laughing. Then Kai started laughing. Then everyone was laughing, and Sara was dramatically moaning about how the universe had interrupted her reading, and the moment passed—Maya's secret safe for another day.

Later, as the party wound down, Maya found herself sitting on the front porch with Kai, sharing a sleeve of stale Oreos.

"You know," he said, " palms get sweaty when you're nervous because your body's preparing for fight or flight. It's evolutionary."

Maya smiled, wiping chocolate crumbs off her jeans. "So what's my fortune tell you?"

Kai thought for a minute. "That you're going to be okay. Even with whatever you're bearing."

Maya leaned into his shoulder. "Yeah. Maybe."

The cat wound around their ankles, purring like a tiny motor. Somewhere inside, someone started playing that song everyone's obsessed with. And for the first time in months, Maya's palms were dry.