Screen Deep

Maya's iPhone sat beside the pool, glowing with notifications she couldn't bring herself to check. The backyard party was in full swing—kids from school bobbing in the water, music thumping from somewhere inside, someone doing a cannonball that sent water cascading over the concrete edge.

She'd come with Chloe, her best friend since seventh grade, but Chloe had wandered off twenty minutes ago to talk to Ryan from history class. Maya stood alone by the pool's edge, tracing patterns in the water with her palm, feeling that familiar hollow feeling in her chest—the one that showed up whenever she realized her friends were drifting away without her.

"Hey."

Maya turned. It was Leo, the quiet guy from her English class. He held out a red plastic cup. "Saw you standing here looking like you'd rather be literally anywhere else."

"Is it that obvious?" Maya smiled, taking the cup.

"Pretty much." He leaned against the fence. "My mom made me come. Said I needed to 'socialize more.'" He made air quotes with his fingers. "What about you?"

"Chloe dragged me here. Then proceeded to ditch me the second Ryan showed up."

"Ouch."

"Yeah." Maya glanced toward the house, where she could see Chloe laughing with a group of people. "Whatever. It's fine."

Leo pointed toward the backyard fence where someone's pet goldfish swam in an oversized bowl on a patio table. "That fish has a better social life than I do."

Maya laughed. "At least it doesn't have to worry about posting updates."

"True. No FOMO in the fish world."

They stood there for a moment, watching the goldfish swim in lazy circles.

"I was actually going to ask you something," Leo said suddenly.

"What?"

"I saw what you posted yesterday. About that book you're reading."

Maya's heart did this weird little skip. "You saw that?"

"Yeah. I've been meaning to read it." He looked down at his shoes, then back up. "I was wondering if you had the sequel."

She stared at him. Nobody noticed her posts anymore. Not since middle school, when her follower count had plateaued and her friends had moved on to being 'cool' and 'chill' and whatever else they were trying to be this week.

"I do," she said. "I could bring it tomorrow. If you want."

"I'd love that."

Just then, Chloe appeared at the back door, calling her name. "Maya! There you are! Come inside, we're doing TikToks!"

Maya looked at Leo, then at Chloe, then back at Leo. Something shifted inside her—like she was standing at a crossroads she hadn't even known existed.

"Tell you what," she said. "Give me your phone."

Leo raised an eyebrow but handed it over. Maya pulled out her own phone and typed in her number.

"Text me," she said, handing it back. "About the book."

Chloe was still calling from the doorway. "Maya! Seriously, come on!"

Maya looked at her friend—her real friend, the one who'd stuck by her through everything—and made her choice.

"In a minute!" she called back. She turned back to Leo. "So. About that book. What exactly did you think about the ending?"

And as they stood there talking about plot twists and character arcs while the party swirled around them, Maya's palm didn't feel hollow anymore. It felt full—like she was exactly where she was supposed to be, for the first time in a long time.

Later that night, when her phone buzzed with a new message from an unknown number, she didn't check her likes or her follower count. She just smiled and opened it.

Some things were worth logging off for.