Palm Sweats & Other Prophecies

Maya's palm was sweating against her phone screen, leaving foggy smudges over Kai's latest Instagram post. Final exams had turned her into a certified zombie—three weeks of coffee-fueled 2 AM study sessions, eyeballs burning like she'd stared directly at the sun, existing on approximately four hours of sleep per night. Her mom kept asking if she was okay, and Maya kept lying because what was she supposed to say? *Actually no, I'm dying inside and also Kai looked at me in the hallway yesterday and I forgot how words work.*

"You want your palm read?" Chloe gestured toward the neon fortune teller booth at the carnival. "It's fifteen bucks. My treat."

Maya hesitated. Her palms were literally sweating right now—what if the fortune teller took one look at her clammy hand and pronounced her destined to be alone forever? But Chloe was already dragging her toward the purple velvet curtain.

Inside, the air smelled like incense and desperation. An older woman with excessive eyeliner grabbed Maya's hand, tracing the lifeline with a sharp fingernail.

"You're carrying too much," the woman said suddenly. "Like a bull that's been carrying the whole farm on its back. You think nobody notices, but everyone sees how hard you're working."

Maya froze. Because this random carnival psychic had just called her out harder than her own therapist.

"Let it go," the woman continued. "All of it. The expectations, the fear, the weight you put on yourself to be perfect. It's crushing you." She pressed a ticket into Maya's palm. "Free rides. Go be a teenager for once."

Outside, Chloe was waiting, almond milk latte in hand. "So? What's the tea? Did she say you'll marry Kai?"

Maya looked at her phone—Kai had posted a story from the carnival. Maybe she wouldn't be a zombie forever. Maybe she'd actually sleep tonight. And maybe, just maybe, she'd finally DM him first.

"She said I'm working too hard," Maya said, grabbing the free rides ticket. "And that I need to stop being scared of everything."

Chloe grinned. "Bold words coming from a psychic. Let's start with the Ferris wheel. I hear you can see everything from up there—including maybe a certain someone we both know."