Orange Slice Rebellion

Maya positioned herself strategically near the **pool**'s edge, a camera she'd "borrowed" from her photographer dad dangling around her neck. Everyone thought she was just taking aesthetic shots for her finsta, but really? She was a total **spy**, cataloging the social hierarchy of Lakewood High's summer blowout like it was classified intel.

"You good, Maya?" Jason asked, floating by on an inflatable pizza slice. He was the varsity **baseball** captain, which meant he basically walked around with an invisible crown.

"Yeah," she lied, adjusting her oversized glasses. "Just getting artsy shots."

Her stomach did that thing where it felt like someone was wringing it out like a wet towel. Since graduation, everyone kept asking what she was doing next year. ASU? Community college? The military? Meanwhile, she'd spent three months watching Jason's Instagram stories, knowing his coffee order, his dog's name, and that he secretly listened to K-pop when he thought no one was watching.

Creepy? Maybe. Necessary? Absolutely.

"You want some?" Jason held out a wedge of **orange**. "My mom insists on bringing 'healthy snacks' to every party. Pretty sure she thinks we're all gonna get scurvy."

The citrus scent hit Maya like a memory — her dad's darkroom, the smell of developing chemicals and the lunch he'd pack for her photo shoots. She'd stopped taking pictures months ago. Stopped doing a lot of things.

"Actually," Maya said, her voice steadier than she felt, "can I talk to you for a sec?"

Jason paddled closer. Water dripping from his hair like he was some kind of mermaid athlete.

"I've been watching you," Maya blurted. "Not like — okay, yeah, LIKE that. But also I took these photos of your last game. From the stands. And I was gonna show you, but then I thought you'd think it was weird, and now I'm saying it out loud and it DEFINITELY sounds weird."

Jason blinked. Then grinned. All teeth and zero judgment.

"You mean these?" He pulled out his phone, opened his camera roll. There it was — her photo. Him mid-swing, dirt flying, frozen in perfect motion. "Coach showed me. Asked who took it. Been trying to find out all summer."

Maya's brain short-circuited. "You... you WANTED to know?"

"Dude." Jason laughed. "You captured something everyone missed. That's not creepy. That's talent."

The orange slice sat forgotten between them as Jason asked, "So, ASU photo program next year, right? I saw your portfolio on the school website."

Maya smiled so hard her face hurt. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who'd been doing research.