Palm Reader's Prophecy

The bass thumped through Jax's beach house, vibrating the floorboards. Sixteen-year-old Leo pressed himself against the wall, nursing a lukewarm soda while watching everyone else living their best lives. His dad's voice echoed in his head: "You gotta be a **bull**, Leo. Charge forward. Bears hibernate and miss opportunities."

Easier said than done when your entire personality could fit in a thimble.

"Hey!", Leo discovered someone had yanked the coaxial **cable** from the wall. The living room TV went dark, and suddenly forty drunk teens were staring at each other in the blue twilight.

"Who messed up the connection?" someone yelled.

"Whatever," Maya said, stepping closer. Her eyes locked onto his. "This is better anyway. Less distraction."

She grabbed his hand. "You know, you've got an interesting palm." She traced the lines with a finger that left sparks in its wake. "This lifeline is crazy long. You're gonna do something huge, Leo."

"Me?" he laughed. "I can barely talk at a party without hyperventilating."

"That's the thing about bulls and bears," she said, smiling. "Bears look scary, but they're just protectors. Bulls? They're all charging around, but they never stop to see where they're actually going."

She squeezed his hand. "I'm taking your number. We're hanging out properly. No party, no noise. Just us."

His palm still tingled where she'd touched it. Maybe his dad was wrong. Maybe you didn't have to be a bull or a bear. Maybe you could just be yourself.

He pulled out his phone. There was already a text from Maya: *Palm reader says we're gonna be friends. You in?*

Leo grinned, finally feeling the vibration in his chest that had nothing to do with the bass. *So in.*