Paparażna & Palm Springs

Maya's palms were sweating. Again. She wiped them on her dress for the third time, staring at her iPhone screen. *Read 5:42 PM.* Leo still hadn't replied to her text about tonight's party.

"You good?" Jasmine asked, popping a cube of papaya into her mouth. They were at Jasmine's house, getting ready for what Maya's older brother called "the social event of the season" — which just meant some kid named Tyler's parents were out of town.

"Yeah. Just nervous." Maya slipped her phone into her pocket. "I've never actually been to a high school party before."

Jasmine shrugged, applying lip gloss with the confidence of someone who'd been navigating social hierarchies since preschool. "It's not that deep. Just be yourself, don't do anything you'll regret, and if things get weird, we bounce."

The party was already lit when they arrived. Music thumped through the floorboards, and the air smelled like cheap body spray and something fruity. Maya stuck close to Jasmine, her heart hammering against her ribs like it was trying to escape.

Then she saw Leo.

He was by the snack table, laughing at something someone said. His hair looked perfect. He looked perfect. And beside him was Skylar — gorgeous, popular, confident in ways Maya could only dream about.

Her phone buzzed. A text from Leo: *sorry!! got caught up. save me a dance?*

Maya's palms went from sweaty to ice cold. He wanted to dance with her? HER?

"You gonna reply or just stand there looking like you saw a ghost?" Jasmine elbowed her, grinning.

Before Maya could type anything, Leo was walking over, cutting through the crowd like he was parting the Red Sea. "Hey!" He grinned, and somehow his smile was even better up close. "Glad you made it."

"Yeah," Maya managed, her voice barely above a whisper. "Me too."

"Wanna get some air?" He nodded toward the backyard. "It's kinda intense in here."

They ended up sitting on the porch steps, shoulders barely touching. The Florida night air was thick and humid, heavy with the scent of jasmine flowers and distant music.

"So," Leo said, "your Instagram posts are actually hilarious. That one about the papaya incident? I died."

Maya blinked. "You... you saw that?"

"Duh." He laughed. "I've been following you for like, months. I just didn't know how to talk to you without being weird about it."

The realization hit her like a physical force. Leo — perfect, popular, gorgeous Leo — had been nervous about talking to HER?

"Well," Maya said, a genuine smile spreading across her face, "you're doing pretty okay so far."

His hand found hers in the darkness, palm against palm, and for the first time all night, Maya's anxiety was replaced by something else. Something better.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket — probably Jasmine asking where she was — but Maya didn't check. Some things were more important than notifications.