Poolside Protocol

Maya's thumbs hovered over her iPhone screen, heart racing as she tapped through Instagram stories for the third time that morning. The pool party was in two hours, and if Jordan showed up with his new girlfriend—which was still technically an unconfirmed rumor according to her sources—Maya needed to be prepared.

Not prepared like she had been last time, showing up in a mismatched bikini and forgetting sunscreen, turning into a human lobster by noon while Jordan laughed at someone else's jokes.

"You're doing it again," her best friend Leo said from where he was sprawled across her bed, flicking through his own phone. "The spy routine. It's weird, Maya. Just show up and have fun."

"I'm not spying," Maya protested, though her face heated up. "I'm gathering intel. There's a difference."

"Sure, Bond Girl. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

The pool party at Chloe's house was already in full swing when they arrived. Maya had spent way too much time picking out her outfit—a cute turquoise tankini that made her feel confident but not like she was trying too hard. The air smelled like chlorine and coconut sunscreen, and someone was playing that summer playlist that everyone pretended was cool but secretly only tolerated for the three decent songs.

And there he was. Jordan. No new girlfriend in sight, standing near the pool's edge with a group of his soccer friends, laughing at something.

Maya's stomach did that familiar flip thing that she hated but also secretly loved. She moved toward the snack table, trying to look casual and like she wasn't heading in his general direction.

"Hey," someone said behind her.

She turned to find this girl from her English class, what was her name, Sam? She was holding a plate of fruit.

"You want some papaya?" Sam asked. "Chloe's mom went through this weird tropical phase and bought, like, five papayas. Nobody's touching them."

Maya stared at the orange fruit. "I've never had papaya."

"Exactly!" Sam grinned. "Neither have I. Want to try it together? Live on the edge?"

And okay, Maya didn't expect her afternoon to involve trying papaya with this girl she barely knew, but there was something kind of nice about it. The fruit was actually pretty good—sweet and soft, with these little seeds that looked weird but tasted fine.

"See?" Sam said. "New experiences. Growth."

Later, when Jordan finally did wander over to say hey, Maya was in the middle of laughing at something Sam said. She found herself introducing them, watching Jordan's polite-but-clearly-not-interested expression, and feeling... okay about it.

Her iPhone buzzed in her pocket. A notification from Instagram, but she didn't check it.

"More papaya?" Sam offered, holding out another piece.

"Yeah," Maya said, and took it. "Why not."

She wasn't spying anymore. She was just there, in the moment, papaya juice on her fingers and chlorine in the air, feeling more herself than she had all summer.