Poolside Secrets

Maya adjusted her visor, trying to look like she knew what she was doing as a pool attendant. The Taylor's end-of-summer party was exactly the kind of social landmine she usually avoided—too many popular kids, not enough places to hide.

"You're gonna do great," her best friend Kai had insisted that morning, stuffing her bag with emergency supplies. "I put extra vitamin gummies in there. For, like, stress reduction."

Maya's hand went to her pocket. The bear-shaped vitamins were currently her only source of confidence.

The pool glittered deceptively innocent, but Maya knew better. Somewhere beneath that blue surface was the phone she'd dropped three days ago while lifeguarding. A phone containing screenshots of texts she'd taken of random people's conversations—her weird hobby, collecting snippets of other people's drama. "People watching," she called it. Her sister called it being a "creepy little spy.""

"Hey!" A voice cut through her panic. Jake, the cute swimmer who'd smiled at her yesterday, was approaching. "You look like you're calculating murder statistics."

Maya's face burned. "Just... thinking about pool chemistry."

"Right." Jake grinned, pulling something from his pocket. "I believe this belongs to you?"

Her phone. Dry. Working.

"I saw it fall," Jake said, shrugging like rescuing drowned electronics was no big deal. "Also, I may have... read some texts while waiting for it to dry. The screenshot ones?"

Maya wanted to dissolve into the concrete. "I can explain—"

"You have excellent taste in drama," Jake interrupted. "Those cheerleaders' texts were genuinely fascinating. Also, I saw you noticed me watching you yesterday. In the hall?"

"You... noticed me noticing you?"

"Bro, I was trying to figure out if you were a spy or just shy." Jake laughed. "Anyway, want to hang out later? I promise not to screenshot your texts."

Maya's pocket buzzed—her vitamin gummies pressing against her leg like a tiny, bear-shaped approval.

"Yeah," she heard herself say. "I'd like that."