Neon Orange Underground

Maya felt like a total spy at Jackson's party, pressing herself against the basement wall and watching everyone pretend to be having the time of their lives. This was supposed to be her coming-out party—her social debut after spending freshman year as a background character in everyone else's story. But mostly she just felt like she was observing an alien species through glass.

She'd spent two hours straightening her hair and applying makeup she'd watched forty TikTok tutorials about. Her outfit was perfect: vintage wash jeans and this neon orange cardigan she'd thrifted, because apparently orange was the aesthetic now.

"Hey."

Maya nearly jumped out of her skin. A guy with messy dark hair and concerned eyes stood there, holding a red cup. "You okay? You look like you're mentally calculating exit strategies."

"Is it that obvious?" she muttered, feeling her face burn.

"I'm Leo," he said, leaning against the wall beside her. "I've been here an hour and I still feel like I'm undercover."

A calico cat wound around Maya's ankles, purring like a tiny motor.

"That's Bull," Leo said. "Short for Bullwinkle, but honestly he's the only real one here."

Maya crouched down, letting the cat bump his head against her palm. "No offense, Bull, but you're better company."

Leo laughed. It was a genuine laugh, not the performative one she'd been hearing all night. "So what's your deal, Maya?"

"My deal is that I thought high school parties would be different. Like, actually fun instead of everyone performing for Instagram."

"Yeah," Leo said, opening a can of orange soda from his pocket. "It's a lot of bull, honestly. Everyone trying so hard to look effortless."

Maya smiled—a real one. "Exactly."

They spent the rest of the night on the back porch, Bull the cat sleeping on Maya's feet, talking about everything and nothing. Maya realized something as she watched the sunrise paint the sky orange: maybe the secret to surviving high school wasn't transforming into someone else. It was finding the other spies who were pretending too.