Operation: Crush Watch

Maya's phone illuminated her face at 2:47 AM — again. She felt like a total zombie after three nights of stalking Jordan's Instagram archive. The algorithm had served her that one beach photo from freshman year so many times she'd memorized the way his hair curled slightly at the ends, how his palm rested casually against his thigh, how the sun caught the profile of someone she'd barely spoken to in real life.

"You're still doomscrolling?" Chloe's voice emerged from the top bunk. "It's literally almost three, Maya."

"I'm not stalking. I'm conducting research," Maya whispered, though her sweaty palms betrayed her. "It's called being thorough."

"It's called being a creep," Chloe shot back, but there was laughter in her voice. "Tomorrow's the party. You gonna talk to him or just spy from behind your phone like you do every day?"

The party was at Tyler's house — the kind where everyone stood around pretending not to care while simultaneously caring way too much. Maya's stomach did nervous gymnastics all through fourth period. When she finally arrived, Jordan was exactly where her "research" predicted he'd be: near the speakers, holding a solo cup, laughing at something Tyler said.

Then he turned.

Their eyes locked across the room and suddenly Maya wasn't a zombie anymore. She was terrifyingly, electrically awake. Her heart hammered against her ribs as he started weaving through the crowd toward her.

"Hey," he said, and his voice was exactly like his texts — casual, warm, slightly unsure. "I feel like I've seen you around. You're in AP Chem, right?"

Maya's palm went damp against her phone. "Yeah. I sit behind you."

"No way," Jordan laughed, and it was genuine. "I always wondered who kept kicking my chair when I fell asleep."

"That was definitely me," Maya admitted, and the truth felt surprisingly good. "Only on days you looked like a zombie, though."

"Touché," he grinned. "So, you want to get some air? The bass in here is kinda killing me."

As they stepped onto the back porch together, Maya realized something: all the late-night scrolling, all the careful spy work hadn't prepared her for this — Jordan was just a person. A person who kicked his chair when he was tired, who laughed with his whole face, who got overwhelmed at parties just like she did.

And somewhere behind them, she could practically hear Chloe high-fiving the universe.