Poolside Palm Reads

Maya's palms were literally sweating as she stood at the edge of Jake's backyard pool party. Her best friend Priya had ghosted her texts all week, and now here they were—Priya holding court with the popular crowd while Maya stood alone like some awkward extra in a teen drama.

"Yo, you gonna swim or just stand there looking like you're solving world problems?" Jake's brother Marcus called from the pool, splashing water her way.

Maya forced a laugh. "Ha, yeah, just getting mentally prepared." As if. Her mental prep mostly consisted of overthinking every interaction she'd had with Priya since the cafeteria incident three days ago, when Maya had accidentally knocked over Priya's lunch tray and the whole table had erupted in those fake-polite laughs that hurt more than actual insults.

Suddenly, something brushed against her leg. She jumped—and saw Jake's tabby cat, Mango, weaving between her ankles like it owned the place.

"Mango!" Jake appeared out of nowhere, shirtless and annoyingly confident. "Sorry, she's basically the host here. You good?"

"Yeah, totally," Maya said, her voice cracking slightly. Smooth.

Jake's phone buzzed. He checked it and groaned. "Ugh, Sierra's bailing. Guess it's just us losers tonight." He winked, and Maya felt her face heating up like she'd been standing under a heat lamp.

Across the pool, Priya was laughing at something football guy Tyler said, her head thrown back, hair somehow perfect despite being damp. Maya felt that familiar pinch in her chest—the one that felt like swallowing something too cold too fast.

She sat on a lounge chair, Mango jumping into her lap like Maya had been elected official cat furniture. The cat's motor-like purring was weirdly comforting.

"You know," Marcus said, appearing with two sodas, "Priya's been kinda different lately. Like, she's trying too hard with that crowd. It's giving... performative."

Maya accepted the soda. "Is it that obvious?"

"To everyone except her, probably." Marcus sat on the adjacent chair. "Anyway, Jake mentioned you're into that photography club? We're looking for someone to take pics for the swim team's social media. Paid gig."

Wait, what?

"Seriously?"

"Fox-like, I know, surprising you with actual opportunities," Marcus laughed. "But yeah, if you're interested."

Maya looked across the pool again. Priya was still performing, but suddenly it didn't sting quite as much. Maybe this wasn't about losing a friend—it was about outgrowing one.

"I'm interested," Maya said, and for the first time all night, her smile was real.