Orange Cat Summer
Maya's plans for a glow-up epically backfired when the orange hair dye she bought from a sketchy website turned her hair the color of a traffic cone. She'd spent all of seventh year hiding behind hoodies, but summer before high school was supposed to be different.
Now she was stuck at Chloe's pool party, looking like a walking Cheeto, while Skylar — the girl everyone had a crush on — floated in the water on an inflatable flamingo, laughing at something someone said. Maya's brain was straight-up glitching.
Her cat, Barnaby, was the only one who didn't judge her terrible hair decisions. The orange tabby had been her emotional support animal since parents split. But now, even Barnaby was giving her side-eye from his spot by the back fence.
"Your cat's staring at me," Chloe called out, but she was smiling. "He wants in the water."
Barnaby hated water. Hated it. But he was also bizarrely obsessed with Skylar, maybe because she wore that vanilla perfume he tried to lick once.
"No way," Maya started, but Barnaby had other plans. The cat bolted toward the pool like he was possessed, straight into the water, splashing directly onto Skylar's flamingo. Chaos erupted. Everyone was screaming, but Skylar was cracking up, dripping wet, her perfect curls ruined.
Maya rushed to grab Barnaby, who was now paddling toward her like a tiny, furious boat. She reached into the water just as Skylar grabbed the other side of the cat. Their hands brushed.
"Your cat's a menace," Skylar said, grinning. "I love it."
Maya's face burned hotter than her terrible hair job. "Sorry about your... everything."
"Please," Skylar said, squeezing water from her shirt. "This is the most exciting thing that's happened all summer. Also, your hair? It's actually kinda sick."
Later, they sat on the pool edge, feet in the water, sharing Skylar's orange soda while Barnaby groomed himself nearby, looking entirely too pleased with himself.
"Next time," Skylar said, "we're dyeing mine to match."
Maybe the glow-up wasn't a total flop after all.