Pool Party Fail

The invitation said 'pool party,' but Maya's brain heard 'social suicide.' She stood at the edge of the cement deck in her one-piece, watching everyone else look like they'd stepped out of a TikTok. Even the inflatable flamingo looked cooler than her.

A calico cat wound around her legs, purring like a motor. At least someone wanted her here.

"Nice cat," someone said.

Maya jumped. It was Jayden, the guy she'd been low-key crushing on since algebra. He was drying off under a fake palm tree that was somehow still majestic.

"Yeah," Maya managed. "She just appeared. Like my anxiety at this party."

Jayden laughed. Actually laughed. "Bro, I feel you. I've been hiding behind this plastic tree for twenty minutes waiting for someone to talk to first."

Wait, what?

"You've been... what?"

"Honestly?" Jayden rubbed the back of his neck, which was doing this adorable flush thing. "I've been trying to spy on you from across the pool for like an hour, but I couldn't figure out how to not make it weird. So, you know, I just made it weird."

Maya's brain short-circuited. "You've been spying on me?"

"That sounds way creepier than it is. I promise I'm not a bear or something." He gestured to the giant teddy bear pool float drifting past them. "Just a guy who's bad at talking to girls."

The cat chose that moment to jump into the pool, causing a small splash.

"Oh my god, cat!" Maya lunged forward, but the creature was already paddling toward the deep end like it owned the place.

Jayden was already in the water, scooping up the soggy fur ball. "Got her."

He deposited the dripping cat onto the deck, where it immediately shook water all over both of them.

They stood there, soaked and laughing while the cat groomed itself with supreme dignity.

"So," Jayden said, pushing wet hair from his eyes. "Since I've already humiliated myself, want to get slushies later?"

Maya smiled, her anxiety dissolving like sugar in water. "Only if you promise not to spy on me anymore."

"No promises. The view's pretty good." He winked, and Maya felt something shift in her chest that had nothing to do with fear.