Palm Sweat & Party Secrets

Maya's palms were sweating so bad she could practically wring them out like a sponge. This was it — Jake's party. The one everyone would be Snap-chatting about for weeks. She'd spent forty-five minutes straightening her hair and another twenty debating whether her outfit screamed 'trying too hard' or 'effortlessly cool.' Spoiler: it definitely screamed 'trying too hard.'

The backyard buzzed with kids from school, some already grinding way too close to the inflatable pool. Which was, lowkey, a bold choice for October. But whatever, Jake's parents were loaded enough to crank up the heater to tropical temps.

Maya grabbed a soda and immediately wished she hadn't because now she had nothing to do with her hands. She'd spent all week doing her research — AKA being a total social media spy, checking every tagged post to figure out who'd be there and what they were wearing. Information was power, right?

'Yo, Maya!' Jake materialized out of nowhere, shirt already soaked. 'You made it!'

'Yeah, you know.' She shrugged, aiming for nonchalant and probably landing somewhere around 'weirdly stiff.' 'Gotta check out the legendary setup.'

'Legendary.' Jake laughed. 'It's literally just a pool and some LEDs. But come through, my dad's grilling burgers.'

The dog — Bear, actually, because Jake's family was original like that — burst through the sliding door and nearly tackled Maya into the **water**. She caught herself against the deck railing just in time, her arms windmilling in a move that was definitely not chill.

'Bear, down!' Jake groaned, hauling the golden retriever back by the collar. 'Sorry, he's literally chaotic energy all day.'

'It's fine,' Maya said, even though her heart was hammering against her ribs. 'My dog's worse.' (Lie. Her dog was a sleepy chihuahua who never moved unless food was involved.)

'Maya!' This time it was Chloe, who Maya had been lowkey obsessed with becoming friends with since freshman year. 'Come swim! The water's heated!'

Oh god. Swim. That meant swimsuit. That meant exposing her thighs to half the sophomore class. Her palms felt like they'd rain saltwater at any second.

'I think I'm good,' Maya started.

'Come on, don't be a wimp.' Chloe splashed **water** at her — not mean, just playful, but suddenly Maya's makeup-streaked face felt like the worst thing that could happen.

'Bear it all,' she whispered to herself, and before she could overthink it, she kicked off her flip-flops and jumped in.

The shock of warm water hit her like a reality check. Nobody was looking. Nobody cared. Jake was trying to convince Bear the pool was not a personal bath, Chloe was laughing so hard she snorted, and Maya was just... there. Existing. And somehow, that was enough.

Her phone buzzed on the deck — probably another story to spy on later — but for now, Maya flipped onto her back and floated, staring up at the string lights, palms finally dry for the first time all night.