Orange Hair at the Deep End

The locker room smelled like chlorine and cheap body spray. Maya stared at her reflection, fingers tangling in the bright orange hair she'd dyed two nights ago in a bathroom rebellion against her mom's "no unnatural colors" rule.

"You look like a traffic cone," Chloe said, flipping her perfect blonde ponytail. The whole swim team snickered.

Maya's face burned hotter than the hair dye mishap. The sophomore championships started in twenty minutes, and she was already the weird new girl. Now she was the weird new girl who looked like she'd fought a bag of Cheetos and lost.

"Whatever." Maya grabbed her goggles. "At least I'm not basic."

Coach Martinez blew the whistle. "Final practice before the relay! Team pyramid formation in the deep end!"

Great. The pyramid — that terrifying stunt where the tallest swimmers formed a human tower while the smallest balanced at the top. Maya was five-foot-nothing, which meant she was crown royalty.

The water churned as her teammates positioned themselves. Jenna and Sarah locked arms at the base, then Chloe and Kayla climbed onto their shoulders. Maya had to scale wet skin and grab hands, trusting everyone to hold steady while water sluiced down her face and her orange plastered itself everywhere.

"GO!" Coach shouted.

Maya scrambled up, knees slipping, chlorine stinging her eyes. Someone's elbow caught her rib. She almost fell, but then—

Chloe's hand gripped hers. Not letting go.

"I got you," Chloe said. "Seriously. We're not gonna crash."

Something shifted. The pyramid held. Maya straightened at the top, arms raised, water dripping from her bright orange ends like radioactive rain. The whole team was cheering, actually cheering, and for a second she didn't feel like the outsider. She felt like the queen of their weird, wobbling kingdom.

After practice, Chloe found her by the bleachers.

"Your hair," Chloe said, and Maya braced herself. "It's actually kinda badass. Like, you're not afraid to stand out. I respect that."

Maya blinked. "Thanks?"

"Want to get boba after the meet tomorrow? My treat."

Maya grinned. "Only if you help me touch up the roots later. This shade is harder to maintain than it looks."

Chloe laughed. "Deal."

As Maya walked home, orange hair drying in the sun, she thought maybe standing out wasn't so bad after all. Sometimes the things that made you different were the things that made you unforgettable.