Poolside Surveillance

Maya's ridiculous sun hat sat pulled down over her eyes, hiding her from the judging gaze of everyone at the Hendersons' pool party. She'd only come because Kayla had dragged her here, promising "it'll be chill, Maya, stop being so extra."

Now Maya sat poolside clutching her iced tea like a lifeline, feeling like the ultimate spy on a mission she wasn't qualified for. She observed everything: the popular girls clustered in the shallow end laughing at something she definitely wouldn't find funny, Tyler from chemistry making a fool of himself trying to impress Brianna with his pathetic cannonball.

"You look like you're plotting someone's murder," said a voice behind her. Maya jumped, nearly spilling her drink everywhere.

Fox. Actual name: Felix, but everyone called him Fox because he was supposedly "sly as one" (Maya still didn't buy it). He was the quiet skater boy who sat behind her in English, the one whose hoodie always smelled faintly like vanilla.

"I'm observing," Maya said, pulling her hat down further. "It's called people-watching. I'm basically an anthropologist."

Fox snorted and sat beside her. "You're basically having a panic attack because you hate pool parties. I feel you." He leaned in closer. "So what's the most embarrassing thing you've witnessed so far?"

Maya peeked out from under her hat. "Earlier, I saw Jenna accidentally call her crush 'daddy' and then immediately try to play it off as saying 'that's neat' really fast. It was a whole thing."

Fox's eyes went wide. "Wait, really? Straight-A Jenna? That's iconic." They spent the next hour like that, eavesdropping and whisper-commentary like they were running an underground podcast.

"You know," Fox said quietly, "you're actually really funny when you're not hiding in your hat."

Maya's heart did that stupid fluttery thing she hated. "You're not so bad yourself, Fox. Even with the beanie."

He grinned, and okay, maybe it made Maya's stomach flip a little. "Wanna get out of here? There's this boba place down the street, and I'd rather continue our spy work there."

Maya stood up, sliding her ridiculous hat back. For once, she didn't feel like hiding. They were running toward the street before Kayla even got back from the bathroom, and Maya didn't even feel bad about it. Some things were worth leaving a party for.