Hair, Palms, and Vitamin C Confessions

Maya stared at her reflection, straightening her curls for the third time. Her natural **hair** had always been her thing—big, bold, beautiful—until Tyler posted that pic with caption "I like girls who look effortless." Effortless? What did that even MEAN? Her friend Chen rolled his eyes, already scrolling through his phone.

"You're overthinking it. Again." Chen fished a bottle from his backpack. "Want one of these? My mom says they're basically magic." He held out a **vitamin** D gummy shaped like a bear.

Maya snorted. "Your mom thinks everything's magic. Last week she said those crystal things fixed her chakras."

"Hey, she got promoted after that, so..." Chen shrugged, popping two gummies. "Besides, you need something to chill before the party tonight. You're gonna stress yourself into breaking out."

The carnival lights flickered against the dusk when they arrived. Maya's stomach did that thing where it felt like someone was squeezing it from the inside. Tyler would be here. Tyler, who probably thought girls just woke up looking like filtered Instagram posts.

"Palm reading! Five bucks!" A girl with wild blue hair waved from a booth. "Come on, I'll tell you your future!"

Chen grabbed Maya's wrist. "Do it. I'll pay."

Maya extended her **palm**, heart pounding. The fortune teller traced the lines with practiced fingers, then stopped, brow furrowing.

"Huh," she said. "That's weird."

"What?" Maya's voice came out small. "Am I gonna die alone? Is Tyler gonna reject me?"

The girl looked up, eyes dancing. "No, dummy. Your lifeline's crazy long, but that's not the weird part." She pointed. "You've got a tiny rectangle here. Like you've been carrying something heavy in your hand all day."

Maya blinked. Her phone. She'd been clutching it since 4 PM, refreshing Tyler's story like a maniac.

"Also," the fortune teller added, "your head line keeps curving toward your heart line. Means you think with your feelings too much." She leaned closer. "Here's some free advice: whatever boy you're stressing over? He posted a story thirty minutes ago. He's at the skate park, not this party."

Maya froze. She pulled out her phone. Tyler was at the SKATE PARK? Not here?

"And," the fortune teller continued, "that curly-haired boy next to you? He's been looking at you like you're the only thing worth seeing all night."

Chen's face turned the color of a ripe tomato. "I—"

"I'm done." Maya grabbed Chen's hand, dragging him toward the food trucks. "Forget Tyler. Let's get funnel fries."

"But my mom's gummies—"

"—can wait." She smiled, her curls bouncing as she ran. "I've got something better than magic vitamins now. I've got someone who actually shows up."

Later that night, under carnival lights, Chen kissed her. And Maya didn't check her phone once.