Pet Store Chaos

Maya's summer was officially spiraling. Her parents had decided she needed "more responsibility" (translation: free labor), so they'd volunteered her to help at the local pet store. Three weeks in, and she was this close to rage-quitting.

"Maya! The goldfish tank needs cleaning!" Mr. Henderson called from the back.

She sighed, posting a quick text to her best friend: *another day, another tank full of fish poop. send help.*

The bell above the door jingled. Maya looked up—and there was Lucas from her English class, looking annoyingly cute in his basketball jersey. Her stomach did that weird flip-flop thing it always did when he was around.

"Hey Maya!" he grinned. "Looking for a new pet?"

She frantically tried to hide the fish net behind her back like it was contraband. "Just ... helping out. You?"

"My dog needs some vitamin supplements," he said, gesturing to the shelf behind her. "Coach says he's not getting enough nutrition."

Smooth. He was actually talking to her. About something that wasn't awkward.

Then chaos happened. A customer's cat carrier popped open mid-transaction, and a calico cat launched itself across the store. Maya and Lucas both dove for it—she ended up somehow straddling his torso while he tried to wrangle the frantic feline from under a display rack.

"Gotcha!" Lucas wheezed, triumphantly holding up the cat. Maya realized their faces were inches apart.

Time seemed to freeze. Then Mr. Henderson's voice boomed: "WHAT IS HAPPENING OUT THERE?"

They scrambled apart, faces burning. Lucas scratched the back of his neck, looking everywhere but at her.

"So uh," he mumbled, "wanna help me pick out those vitamins?"

Maya's phone buzzed in her pocket. Her best friend: *OMG DID U JUST FALL ON TOP OF LUCAS?! I SAW UR IG STORY!!*

She grinned. "Yeah. Sure."

Maybe this summer wasn't going to be so bad after all.