Operation Orange Crush

Maya pressed herself against the row of lockers, heart doing that nervous flutter thing it always did when she had to talk to someone who wasn't her cat. She wasn't technically a spy, but after three weeks of watching the popular girls' lunch table from her strategic spot near the vending machines, she definitely felt like one.

That's when she saw Chloe — her former best friend who'd somehow transformed into a completely different person over summer break. Chloe was wearing this orange hoodie that Maya remembered helping her pick out freshman year, back when matching orange hoodies had seemed like the most important decision they'd ever make.

Now Chloe sat with the elite crowd, laughing at something some guy said, while Maya stood there feeling like a zombie going through the motions of high school existence. Same classes, same invisible status, same longing to actually be seen.

But then something weird happened. Chloe glanced over and caught Maya's eye. Instead of looking away like she usually did, she gave this tiny wave.

Maya's brain short-circuited. Should she wave back? Pretend she hadn't noticed? casually inspect her fingernails like she was totally busy and important?

"Hey!" Chloe appeared beside her, and Maya realized her undercover operation had failed spectacularly. "I've been meaning to text you."

"You have?" Maya's voice came out higher than she'd intended.

"Duh. Those girls are exhausting." Chloe leaned against the lockers next to her. "I'd rather hang out with someone who doesn't make me feel like I'm performing all the time. Remember when we used to people-watch and make up backstories for everyone?"

Maya felt something warm and hopeful bloom in her chest. "The zombie apocalypse survival club meeting in the library every Tuesday?"

Chloe laughed, and it sounded real. "God, we were such losers. But like, in a good way. You want to restart it? I brought snacks."

From her pocket, Chloe produced an orange — a literal, actual orange. "For old times' sake."

Maya grinned, feeling like maybe high school wouldn't be completely terrible after all. "You're on. But we're expanding the mission. I've got three weeks of intelligence on the popular table. We need to document everything."

"Finally," Chloe said. "My spy skills were going to waste."