Poolside Prophecy

Maya's palms were sweating before she even stepped through the gate. The Friday night pool party at Jake's house was already in full swing—laughter echoing off the fence, bass thumping from somewhere inside, the smell of chlorine and sunscreen hanging thick in the humid July air.

She adjusted her bikini strap for the third time. Her iphone buzzed in her hand—her group chat blowing up with everyone asking where she was. "OMW," she typed back, then deleted it. Too desperate. "Be there soon." Better. Her thumb hovered over send. Whatever. She shoved the phone deep into her crossbody bag and forced herself to walk through the gate.

"Maya! You made it!" Jake yelled, already waist-deep in the pool with a volleyball. "Cannonball contest in five!"

She managed something that looked like a smile. The social dynamics here were exhausting—Jake was obviously performing for Skylar, who was pretending not to watch from a lounge chair while scrolling through instagram. Everyone was playing a part, and Maya felt like she'd missed the script distribution.

That's when she noticed her under the palm tree at the edge of the yard. Raven. The senior who'd transferred last month and already accumulated approximately seven million rumors. She was sitting cross-legged in the shade, reading people's palms.

Maya found herself drifting closer before she could overthink it.

"You're next," Raven said without looking up. Her voice was deeper than Maya expected. Smooth, like. "Hand me."

Maya extended her right hand before her brain could register what was happening. Raven's fingers were cool against her feverish skin, tracing the lines on her palm with surprising gentleness.

"You're overthinking everything," Raven murmured. "You think everyone's watching you, but they're all just worried about themselves. See this line?" Her fingernail grazed Maya's heart line. "You've been holding back something you need to say. Since freshman year."

Maya's breath hitched. How could she—

"Also, you have sunscreen on your nose."

Maya laughed, startled out of her spiral. Their eyes met, and suddenly the party noise faded to background. Raven wasn't looking through her. She was actually looking at her.

"Thanks," Maya said. "For, you know."

"Anytime." Raven's lips curved. "Hey, want to get out of here? There's a boba place down the street."

"Yes. Like, a thousand percent yes."

Maya turned to grab her bag from the chair she'd dropped it on—

* SPLASH *

Her bag had tipped. Her iphone was at the bottom of Jake's pool, glowing briefly before winking out like a dying star.

The whole party went silent. Jake stopped mid-air with the volleyball. Skylar actually looked up from her phone. And Raven? Raven was laughing, her head thrown back, unfiltered and real.

"Well," Raven said, standing up and offering Maya a hand. "Looks like the universe really wants you to be present tonight. No distractions."

Maya looked at the pool, then at Raven, then back at the pool. She could panic. She could cry. She could let this become the most embarrassing moment of her high school career.

Instead, she took Raven's hand—her actual palm this time—and let herself be pulled toward the gate.

"Jake! Keep it safe!" she called back. "I'll come back for it tomorrow! Or never. Probably never!"

As they walked down the street, Raven's hand warm in hers, Maya realized she didn't miss her phone at all. Some prophecies fixed themselves, and sometimes the worst moments were actually plot twists in disguise.

"So," Raven said. "What flavor do you usually get?"

"I've never actually had boba before."

Raven's grin was worth a thousand iphones. "Perfect. I have so much to teach you."