Poolside Secrets

Maya's hair was frizzing in the July heat, a fact she tried to ignore as she adjusted her towel on the lounge chair. The community pool was packed—every teenager in the neighborhood was there, including Tyler, who was currently showing off his cannonball technique off the diving board.

"Maya! Over here!" It was Chloe, waving from the edge of the water. "You coming in or what?"

Maya hesitated. She'd spent all morning straightening her hair, and chlorine was the enemy. But Chloe was already waist-deep, grinning like she knew something Maya didn't.

"What's up?" Maya called, staying dry.

Chloe swam closer, lowering her voice. "I saw something at the party last night. You know how Tyler was acting weird?"

Maya's stomach did that thing it always did when Tyler was mentioned. "Yeah?"

"Okay so," Chloe glanced around like she was a spy in a Mission Impossible movie, "I went upstairs to find the bathroom, right? And I saw Tyler outside on the balcony... with Sarah."

The words hit Maya like, well, like Tyler's cannonballs hit the water. Hard.

"No way," Maya said, trying to sound chill but definitely failing. "They're just friends. He told me that like, last week."

"Friends don't lean in like that," Chloe said darkly. "I'm just looking out for you, bestie."

Maya stood up, suddenly needing to move. She walked to the pool's edge, where Tyler was now pulling himself out of the water, droplets streaming down his abs (okay, she noticed).

"Hey Maya!" He shook his hair like a golden retriever, spraying water everywhere. "Finally coming in?"

"Tyler, we need to talk," she said, her voice doing that shaky thing it did when she was nervous. "About... us."

Chloe was watching from the water, giving her a thumbs-up. Maya took a breath.

"Are we, like, a thing? Or am I reading into everything? Because I heard you were with Sarah last night and—"

"Sarah?" Tyler laughed, actually laughed. "She was helping me plan something for you. For your birthday next week. I wanted it to be, you know, actually good."

Maya's face burned hotter than the pavement. "Oh."

"So yes, Maya. We're a thing. Obviously." He gestured at his wet hair. "Why else would I voluntarily look like this?"

Chloe rolled her eyes so hard Maya practically saw it from across the pool. Whatever. Maya jumped in, hair-frizz be damned. Some things were worth getting wet for.