Operation Midnight Dip

Marcus wasn't supposed to be here. The backyard of the house where the popular kids hung out on Friday nights was basically forbidden territory for sophomores, especially sophomores who spent their weekends gaming and overanalyzing text messages.

But here he was, crouched behind the massive oak tree in the Kings' backyard, heart hammering against his ribs like it was trying to escape his chest. His sister's yorkipoo, Buster, was somehow along for the ride—probably because Marcus had babysitting duty and couldn't say no to those puppy eyes.

"You're a terrible spy," he whispered to the dog, who was now happily sniffing a hedge.

Buster had snuck out the back gate when Marcus's older sister, Priya, had dropped him off "for just a second" while she ran inside to grab something she'd forgotten. That was twenty minutes ago.

The pool area was lit up with string lights and actual tiki torches. Marcus could see them through the fence gaps—Javier, the senior Marcus had been lowkey crushing on since September, was there. So was Chloe, whose Instagram stories made Marcus's life feel basic by comparison.

He was about to leave, forget this whole embarrassing mission, when Buster suddenly bolted. The tiny dog had spotted something—a butterfly, maybe—and made a beeline straight for the pool gate, which had been left slightly ajar.

"Buster! No!" Marcus hissed, scrambling after him.

Too late. Buster burst through the gate like he owned the place, and suddenly all eyes were on Marcus, who stumbled in after him.

The music cut.

"Whoa," said Javier, grinning. "Is that... is that a yorkipoo?"

Marcus's face burned. "Yeah. His name's Buster. He, uh... he's very determined."

Someone laughed. But then Javier was walking over, crouching down to let Buster sniff his hand. "Dude, this dog is adorable. Come hang out."

"Really?" The word slipped out before Marcus could stop it.

"Yeah, man. Buster's your plus-one. Quality wingman."

By midnight, Marcus was sitting on the pool's edge with his jeans rolled up, feet in the water, while Buster slept in his lap. Javier was talking about how nervous he'd been at his first high school party last year, and Chloe was telling Marcus about her Yorkie obsession.

Later, walking home with Buster somehow even more exhausted than Marcus felt, he realized something: sometimes the coolest moments happen when you're not trying to be someone you're not. And having the world's worst spy dog as your wingman wasn't the worst way to start your weekend.