Running Toward Real

Maya stood at the edge of the pool party, clutching her towel like a shield. Her best friend since kindergarten, Jenna, was already in the deep end, laughing with the popular crowd she'd somehow infiltrated that summer. Meanwhile, Maya felt like she was drowning before even getting wet.

"You coming in or what?" Jenna called, treading water. "The water's literally perfect."

Maya's stomach did that thing it always did when attention landed on her. She mumbled something about not feeling well and started backing away, practically running toward the exit. Her flip-flops slapped against the concrete, each step feeling like a small failure.

She burst through the gate and into the neighborhood beyond, not stopping until she reached the quiet street behind the community center. That's when she heard it — a tiny, pathetic mew.

A calico cat sat on a low brick wall, watching her with intensity that felt weirdly judgmental. Its left ear was notched, like it'd been in fights and survived.

"Yeah, I know," Maya said, sinking down to sit on the curb. "I bailed. Happy?"

The cat jumped down and approached cautiously, then rubbed its head against her ankle. Maya's throat tightened. She'd been so focused on not embarrassing herself that she'd forgotten what actually mattered.

Jenna appeared behind her, breathless and wet in her swimsuit. "There you are. I thought something happened."

Maya looked at the cat, then at her friend — her actual friend, who'd come after her instead of staying with the cool kids.

"I'm not good at this," Maya said. "The whole swimming-in-public thing. Or the being-around-people thing."

Jenna sat beside her on the curb. "So? I'm not good at math, but we still go to school. The cat doesn't care if you're awkward, Maya. Neither do I."

The cat licked Maya's hand with a sandpaper tongue.

"We could just ditch," Maya said, a wild thought taking shape. "Go to your house. Eat snacks. Let this cat adopt us."

Jenna grinned. "I was literally just thinking that."

And just like that, the running stopped. They'd figure out the rest tomorrow.