Poolside Prophecy

The chlorine-scented **water** lapped against the pool's edge as Maya stood there in her too-bright bikini, feeling like every single person at Jasmine's graduation party was silently judging her knee-scars and the way her hair refused to curl properly. She'd spent forty-five minutes trying to look effortless, which was inherently ironic.

She'd been **swimming** through social anxiety all semester at Northwood High, but this was different. This was with HIM. Lucas, who sat three rows back in AP Lit and always had that perfect I-don't-care hair. The same Lucas who was currently laughing at something Tyler said by the snack table, his smile doing actual things to her cardiovascular system.

Maya's stomach dropped. The hummus plate. The **spinach** artichoke dip she'd aggressively consumed like twenty minutes ago because nervous eating was her toxic trait. She whipped out her phone camera, doing the discreet check, and—yup. Gorgeous green debris wedged between her front teeth. She'd been walking around with spinach teeth for TWENTY MINUTES.

"Hey, you gonna swim or just brood by the deep end?" Lucas was suddenly there, dripping wet, smile easy and warm and utterly devastating up close.

A flash of **lightning** split the sky, unexpectedly close. Everyone gasped as thunder rattled through the backyard. The pool lights flickered ominously. And there, floating forgotten in the corner, was Jasmine's little brother's pool inflatable—a bizarre golden **sphinx** with its weird enigmatic smile and questionably-proportioned wings. It had been abandoned since the family's Egypt phase last summer.

"That sphinx has seen better days," Lucas said, cracking up. "Kind of a vibe though."

Maya surprised herself by laughing. "Literally the only thing here having more of an identity crisis than me."

He looked at her, really looked at her. "You seem pretty chill to me. Besides, I hear spinach's supposed to be stuck in your teeth. It's like, a whole aesthetic."

He'd noticed. He'd absolutely noticed. And he was still standing there.

"Oh my GOD, how long?" she groaned, covering her face.

"Only like, three minutes. I was debating saying something but honestly? It was kind of adorable." He paused. "I'm Lucas, by the way. We've had AP Lit together all year and I've been wanting to talk to you since you presented that Poe analysis like, three months ago."

The storm broke overhead as they stood there, the sphinx bobbing gently in the rain, and Maya thought maybe—just maybe—this summer wouldn't be so bad after all.