Orange Fizz & Sticky Palms

Maya's palms were sweating. Like, actually dripping. She wiped them on her denim shorts for the third time, checking her reflection in the bathroom mirror of some senior's house she'd never been to before. The party was already getting loud, bass thumping through the floorboards, and she'd been here exactly seven minutes.

"You good?" Chloe appeared behind her in the mirror, holding two bright orange Solo cups. "You look like you're about to puke."

"I'm fine," Maya lied, grabbing a cup and taking a sip. Orange soda. Of course.

Chloe had been her best friend since sixth grade, back when friendship bracelets were actually cool and their biggest problem was who got the ball first at recess. Now they were juniors, and somehow Chloe had transformed into someone who got invited to senior parties while Maya was still figuring out how to exist in a room without feeling like everyone was judging her outfit.

"Listen," Chloe said, leaning against the doorframe. "Jake's out there. And he was literally asking about you earlier."

Maya's stomach did that thing it always did when Jake Davidson was mentioned. "Asking what? If I'm still alive?"

"No, you drama queen. Asking if you were coming. So go out there and be normal for once." Chloe pushed her toward the door.

The backyard was packed with people she barely recognized. String lights were wrapped around the palm trees — weird, considering they lived in Ohio, but someone's rich parents apparently went all out for graduation parties. Jake stood near the inflatable pool, wearing that flannel he always wore even though it was May.

Maya started toward him, then stopped. Her palms were sweating again. Why was this so hard?

She turned back around, nearly spilling her orange soda, and collided with someone's chest.

"Whoa, easy there." A guy she'd never seen before steadied her cup. "That would've been tragic. Orange stains are basically impossible to get out."

He had messy dark hair and the kind of easy confidence Maya had spent sixteen years trying to fake. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"I'm Leo." He held out his hand. "And you look like you're regretting coming here."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Only to me." Leo grinned. "I've been hiding in the kitchen for an hour. Want to go back? There's way more orange soda where that came from."

Maya looked past him at Jake, then back at Leo. Something about this stranger felt easier than trying to impress the guy she'd been crushing on since freshman year.

"Actually," she said, "yeah. That sounds perfect."

Sometimes the best moments weren't the ones you planned for. They were the ones that happened when you stopped trying so hard.