Palm Reading at the Pool Party

The humidity hit Maya like a wall as she stepped through the sliding glass door. Chen's pool party was already in full swing — music thumping, bodies everywhere, the smell of coconut sunscreen and chlorine heavy in the air. She smoothed her sarong, suddenly hyper-aware that she was the only one not in a swimsuit.

"You made it!" Chen materialized at her side, pulling her into a quick hug. "Come swimming! The water's perfect."

"I... I forgot my suit," Maya lied, even though it was neatly folded in her bag back home. "Just came to say hey."

Before Chen could respond, a girl with rainbow-streaked hair grabbed Maya's wrist. "Omg, you're the new girl, right? I'm Jasmine. I'm literally obsessed with your jacket."

Maya blinked. "Thanks?"

"You have to let me read your palm. I took this online course and I'm actually getting scary good at it." Jasmine dragged her toward a cluster of chairs where three others sat cross-legged in the shade of a towering palm tree. "Sit. Give me your hand."

Maya's palms were sweating, but she extended her right hand anyway. The group leaned in, eyes bright with curiosity.

"Hmm..." Jasmine traced the lines on Maya's palm with exaggerated concentration. "You're going to meet someone important. Soon. And you're going to take a risk that changes everything."

"Risk?" Maya repeated.

"Yup. Something you've been afraid to do. But you're gonna do it anyway." Jasmine grinned. "Also, you're a terrible liar."

The group laughed, but surprisingly, not meanly.

"Hey," said a guy in the corner, adjusting his snapback. "If you're not swimming, you could help me with the aux cord. This playlist is mid."

Maya looked between them — Jasmine still holding her hand, Chen motioning from the pool, the guy with the aux cord offering an out from her awkward excuse. Her heart hammered against her ribs.

"Actually," she said, pulling her hand back gently. "I did bring a suit. It's in the car."

Jasmine pumped her fist. "Yesss! Changing the narrative!"

"Go!" Chen shouted from the pool, splashing water.

As Maya walked back to her car, she realized her palms weren't sweating anymore. The risk, she decided, wasn't about the swimsuit. It was about staying.

And maybe, just maybe, she was ready to take it.