Laps Around the Truth

Maya's lungs burned—that good, familiar fire that came from **running** six laps around the track. Cross country practice had ended twenty minutes ago, but she kept going, because stopping meant facing it: Jordan was still at the pool.

The indoor aquatic center glowed through the fogged windows like an aquarium from the outside. Maya had been basically **spy**-ing on swim practice for three weeks now—not in a creepy way, she told herself. Just... observing. From behind the hedge near the entrance. Totally normal behavior for someone who'd never actually spoken to the object of their bi-curiosity-fueled crisis.

"You gonna stand there all night or what?"

Maya nearly jumped out of her skin. Jordan stood there dripping wet, swim cap peeled off to reveal hair that was definitely not as meticulously straightened as it usually was in homeroom. They held a mesh bag smelling intensely of chlorine.

"I was just—" Maya's brain short-circuited. "—stretching?"

"By the hedge behind the aquatic center?" Jordan raised an eyebrow. "Cool stretching routine. Very... stealth."

Maya felt her face heat up. Okay, so she'd been caught. Whatever. It was fine. This was fine.

"You're fast," Maya blurted, because apparently humiliation made her honest. "I mean, I've noticed. During swim meets. You're really... you know. Good at the **swimming** thing."

Jordan's eyebrows went higher. "You've been watching my meets?"

"No! Well. Maybe." Maya groaned. "I'm Maya. I run. Cross country. And apparently I also creep on people who don't know I exist."

Jordan laughed, and it was weirdly genuine. "I know who you are, Maya. You're the one who nearly lapped me during that charity 5K last month before you stopped to help some kid tie their shoe."

Maya blinked. "You noticed that?"

"Hard not to notice someone who can run like that and still stop to be decent." Jordan adjusted their bag. "You wanna grab food? I'm starving, and you seem like you could use a rescue from your very intense stretching routine."

Maya's heart was doing something concerning in her chest. "Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that."

"Cool." Jordan started walking, then looked back. "Just so you know, tomorrow's practice is at 6 AM. If you're gonna lurk, bring coffee. I'll share."