Palm Reader's Luck

Leo's beanie hat sat crushed at the bottom of his locker, confiscated by Coach Martinez during third period gym. It'd been his armor since freshman year—a slouchy navy thing that covered his forehead whenever he felt like everyone was staring. Now, at the Friday night bonfire, Leo felt naked without it.

The popular kids gathered around the fire pit behind Maya's house. Leo hung at the edge, nursing a lukewarm soda, watching the flames dance against the palm trees lining the beach. He'd been crushing on Maya since algebra, but she barely knew he existed. Until tonight.

"Hey!" Someone shouted. "The speaker's dead!"

The Bluetooth cable had disconnected, killing the playlist. People groaned. Maya caught Leo's eye from across the circle. She knew he was in AV Club.

"Leo!" she waved him over. "You fix cables and stuff, right?"

His heart hammered. He knelt by the portable speaker, fingers trembling as he reconnected the cable. Music blasted back to life. Everyone cheered. Maya plopped beside him in the sand.

"You're basically a wizard," she said, grinning. Her phone screen illuminated her face. "I heard this crazy thing about you."

Leo's stomach dropped. His secret—leaked. The thing his abuela taught him, the palm readings he'd done for exactly three people in his life.

"Yeah?" he tried to sound casual.

"That you can read palms." She held out her hand. "Do it."

He hesitated, then traced the lines on her palm. Something shifted—like it always did. Visions, feelings. Not magic, but not not magic either.

"You're scared," Leo said softly. "About your mom. She's sick, isn't she?"

Maya's eyes widened. The circle went quiet.

"Yeah," she whispered. "She has surgery next week."

Leo squeezed her hand. "She's gonna be fine. I can feel it."

They talked for hours, Maya eventually leading him into the water, both of them fully clothed, laughing as waves crashed around them. No one mentioned his missing hat. Leo didn't need it anymore.