Pool Party Panic

Maya's stomach did backflips as she stood at the edge of the **water**, clutching her towel like a lifeline. Everyone from sophomore year was at Jessica's pool party — even the kids who sat at the "cool table" at lunch.

She'd spent forty-five minutes perfecting her **hair**, only for it to frizz up the second she stepped outside. Classic.

"Hey! You coming in or what?" Jessica called, splashing **orange** soda everywhere. She was wearing this tiny bikini that made Maya feel like she was wearing a tent.

"Yeah, just... give me a sec," Maya muttered, faking a smile. Why did she even come? Social suicide mission.

Suddenly, this massive **cat** — Jessica's Himalayan, Buffy — came charging out of nowhere and leaped straight onto the diving board. The board BOUNCED. And kept bouncing.

"BUFFY, NO!" Jessica screamed.

The cat froze, gave everyone this judgmental stare, then sat down and started licking its paw like it owned the place.

Maya cracked up. Actually laughed out loud. And that's when Jake — the Jake who played varsity basketball and had 2.4k Instagram followers — swam over and said, "That was literally the most extra thing I've ever seen."

"Right?" Maya said, forgetting to be nervous for like five seconds. "My **bear** of a brother has more chill than that cat."

Jake laughed. "Wait, you have a brother?"

And just like that, they were talking. About nothing, really. Family pets, weird siblings, how Jessica's mom made way too much food.

Later, when Maya finally got in the pool (hair be damned, whatever), she realized something: nobody was looking at her. Everyone was too busy worrying about themselves.

She'd spent the whole day terrified of embarrassing herself, but the only thing anyone remembered was the cat on the diving board.

And honestly? That was kind of awesome.