Poolside Secrets

Jordan's thumbs moved across her iphone screen like they were training for the Olympics. She'd been cyber-stalking Maya's profile for twenty minutes straight — not creepy, just thorough. Maya, who'd transferred to Northwood last spring and made varsity cheer without even trying. Maya, with the perfect hair and the impossible laugh.

"You're literally going to burn holes in your screen," said Riley, dropping onto the lounge chair beside her. They were at Tyler's end-of-summer pool party, the social event of the season. Jordan was fully clothed, clutching her phone like a lifeline.

"I'm not spying," Jordan lied. "I'm researching."

"Girl, you're full-on FBI surveillance mode." Riley adjusted her fedora. "What's the deal with the hat, by the way? It's, like, ninety degrees."

Jordan touched the brim of her dad's old baseball cap self-consciously. It was her armor. Without it, she felt exposed. "It's vintage."

"It's hiding," Riley corrected gently. "Maya's over there by the snacks if you actually wanna, you know, talk to her like a normal person."

Jordan's heart did that embarrassing fluttery thing. She watched Maya laughing with some seniors, looking effortless and terrifying.

"I can't. What would I even say? 'Hi, I've been lowkey obsessed with you since April'?"

"Weird but honest." Riley stood up. "I'm going swimming. You coming, or are you gonna stay here and be a detective?"

Jordan hesitated. She'd packed her swimsuit, but actually wearing it felt like walking into school naked. That's when it happened — Maya turned and caught her eye. Then Maya smiled. Actually smiled.

Jordan's phone buzzed. A notification from an unknown number: *saw you looking at my profile. you should come say hi 😉*

"Holy crap," Jordan breathed.

"What?" Riley asked.

"Maya knows I was looking at her stuff. She literally knows I'm a creep."

"Or she thinks you're interested and is waiting for you to make a move instead of being a spy all summer."

Before Jordan could overthink it, Maya was walking over, and Jordan had approximately three seconds to prepare for the most important moment of her teenage existence. She took off the hat. Her hands were shaking.

"Hey," Maya said, stopping in front of her. "I'm Maya."

"Jordan," she managed, her voice sounding weirdly high. "I was just —"

"Spying on me through your iphone?" Maya grinned. "Yeah, I saw. It's kinda cute, actually."

Jordan's face burned. "I'm so —"

"Don't apologize. I was hoping you'd work up the courage to talk to me eventually." Maya nodded toward the pool. "Wanna go swimming? The water's actually decent."

"Yeah," Jordan said, and something in her chest unclenched. "Yeah, I'd love that."

Riley raised an eyebrow from the pool's edge, looking suspiciously like she'd orchestrated the whole thing.

Later, when they were both in the water, pruned fingers and adrenaline fizzing through their veins, Maya admitted something unexpected. "I was nervous too, you know. About coming here today. About talking to you."

"You? Nervous?" Jordan couldn't imagine it.

"Everyone's nervous about something," Maya said. "That senior girl over there? She's terrified she'll mess up her dive tomorrow. Tyler? He's scared his mom will find out he broke her expensive vase playing bear tactics with his cousins last week."

"Bear tactics?"

"Like, they were pretending to be bears and destroyed the living room. He's fifteen, by the way."

They both laughed, and Jordan thought maybe this summer wasn't going to be a total disaster after all.

"You know," Maya said softly, "I like you better without the hat. You've got really expressive eyes."

Jordan felt something shift inside her, something important. Like she was finally, actually, starting to become herself.

"I think," Jordan said, "I might be done hiding."

"Good," Maya said. "Because I've been waiting to meet the real you for a long time now."