Panic Mode

Maya's phone buzzed on her nightstand at 7:03 AM. A text from Sasha: dress code is FLANNEL today. Don't be awkward.

Maya stared at her closet. Flannels were so ... not her. But this was sophomore year, and apparently authenticity had an expiration date. She grabbed her brother's old red flannel from the laundry basket. Whatever.

Her cat Luna wound through her legs, meowing for breakfast. "Sorry, Lunes," Maya muttered, grabbing a vitamin D gummy from the kitchen counter. Her mom was obsessed with supplements since Maya kept getting sick last winter. Might as well.

At school, the flannel situation was a disaster. Everyone else wore theirs buttoned properly, open over cute tees, looking effortless. Maya's hung crookedly, the sleeves too long, swallowing her hands. She felt like a middle schooler playing dress-up.

"Nice flannel," Nate said from his locker. He was wearing one too, but somehow he looked normal. This was the problem.

"Yeah, thanks," Maya said, tugging at a sleeve.

Third period brought a new crisis. Her stomach growled during Mr. Henderson's lecture, embarrassingly loud. The vitamin gummy was not cutting it. She needed actual food, but the cafeteria was a social minefield. Sit with Sasha and the popular crowd? Risk awkward conversation. Find an empty table? Look like a loser with no friends.

She ended up outside, on the grass near the parking lot. That's when she saw it—a dog wandering loose, a Golden Retriever with a tangled blue leash dragging behind it. The dog trotted toward her, tail wagging.

"Hey buddy," Maya said, reaching for the trailing leash. The dog licked her hand, and for the first time all day, she smiled. "You're not supposed to be here either, are you?"

A guy from her history class appeared, looking panicked. "Buster! Oh my god, thank you." He took the leash. "I'm so sorry, he dug under the fence. I'm Lucas, by the way."

"Maya. He's cute."

"Yeah, he's a troublemaker. I live two streets down." Lucas hesitated. "You want to walk him back with me? I can cut through the woods, it's faster."

They walked through the trees behind the school, Buster trotting between them. Maya's flannel suddenly felt less stupid. Lucas asked about her classes, her music taste, whether she liked the new cafeteria sandwiches (she didn't). He laughed when she made a joke about the vitamin gummy addiction.

"Hey," Lucas said when they reached his house. "There's this show downtown on Friday. Some local bands. You want to go?"

Maya's heart did something weird. "Yeah. Actually, yeah."

"Cool. Text me?" He held up his phone.

Back at school, Sasha intercepted her by the lockers. "Where were you? We saved you a seat."

"Just ... around," Maya said, already tapping Lucas's number into her contacts. The flannel still wasn't her style, but maybe that didn't matter anymore.