Operation Invisible

Max adjusted the brim of her baseball cap, angling herself behind the library bookshelves like she'd seen in movies, though her position felt more awkward than stealthy. Being thirteen and feeling invisible wasn't exactly how she'd imagined her first year of high school would go.

Her golden retriever, Comet, waited tied up outside, occasionally letting out a whine that Max could hear through the glass doors. He was her only confidant these days, the only one who knew about her new extracurricular activity: spying on Sophia—the girl who used to be her best friend before everything changed between fifth and sixth grade, before popularity became a currency Max didn't know how to trade in.

Sophia sat at a table with three other girls, laughing at something on her phone, her layered hair perfectly styled, her bracelet collection jingling with every gesture. Max watched through gaps in the YA fiction section, clutching a bottle of gummy vitamins her mom insisted she take daily. "They're for your growth spurt," her mom had said, handing them over like they were some magical solution to adolescence's awkwardness.

Now Max popped two cherry-flavored bears into her mouth, their chewy sweetness grounding her as she observed Sophia's world. They weren't really friends anymore, but they weren't strangers either—this weird limbo of hallway smiles and forgotten inside jokes.

"You've been standing there for twenty minutes," said a voice behind her.

Max jumped, nearly dropping her vitamin bottle. Leo, the lanky boy from her English class, leaned against the bookshelf, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not... I mean, I was just—"

"Spying?" He grinned. "Same. Been watching Jason from over there for fifteen minutes."

They stood in silence for a moment, the absurdity of their situation hanging between them like an awkwardly paused song.

"Wanna trade positions?" Max offered. "I can tell you if Jason looks your way."

Leo's smile widened. "Deal. But I'll need intel on Sophia too. She's in my math class, and I still can't figure out if she's actually nice or just fakes it."

Outside, Comet barked joyfully as someone stopped to pet him. Through the glass, Max saw Sophia walk over to her dog, crouching down to scratch his ears exactly the way Max had taught her years ago.

"She's actually nice," Max said softly. "She just forgot how to show it."

Leo studied her face. "So are you going to say hi, or just stay undercover forever?"

Max looked at her vitamins, then at Leo, then at Sophia. "Maybe tomorrow. I've got an operation to finish first."

"Operation Invisible?" Leo asked.

"Operation Friendship Restoration," Max corrected, pocketing the vitamins. "Wanna join?"