Signal in the Woods

Maya's iphone buzzed against her thigh, right as she was about to do something that would either be legendary or a total disaster. She pulled it out—three notifications from Leo, all variations of 'where r u???' and 'this is insane.'

She ducked behind the massive oak tree in the Wilsons' backyard, heart hammering against her ribs. The party noise floated over from next door—laughing, red solo cups, someone playing Kendrick on a portable speaker. She was supposed to be there. Instead, she was crouched in someone else's bushes at 11:47 PM on a Friday, wearing her favorite chunky sneakers and a panic sweat that was definitely not cute.

"You're really gonna spy on them?" Leo had asked earlier, giving her that look—that 'Maya, this is not a vibe' look.

"I'm not spying," she'd insisted, even though that was exactly what she was doing. "I'm gathering information. There's a difference."

Her ex-best friend Sarah was at that party. With Olivia. The girl who'd sent Maya a screenshot of Sarah calling her 'needy' in their group chat—the one she thought Maya wasn't part of anymore. The screenshot had destroyed her. Now she needed to know: was Sarah really done with her? Or was it just teenage girl drama, a moment of weakness that meant nothing?

Her phone lit up again. Leo: 'bear left if you wanna bail. i'll cover for you.'

Maya snorted. Leo had been saying 'bear left' and 'bear right' instead of 'bare' since fourth grade, and somehow it still made her smile every single time.

Then she heard it: Sarah's laugh. That specific, head-tilted-back laugh Maya had heard a thousand times while they watched terrible movies and painted each other's nails and talked about boys who would never notice them.

"Maya's being so weird about it," Sarah was saying. "Like, she saw one screenshot and literally ghosted me? We've been friends since preschool."

"She's sensitive," Olivia replied, but Sarah cut her off.

"No, she's not. She's the strongest person I know. She's just... she's been through a lot this year. I should've checked on her."

Maya's thumb hovered over her phone screen. She could confront them. Could storm over there and demand to know why Sarah talked about her like that. Could post something cryptic on her story and let everyone wonder what happened.

Instead, she opened her messages and typed: 'i'm coming over. and leo, you still can't spell.'

Some friendships were worth fighting for. Some were worth risking looking stupid for. And some nights, hiding in bushes with your oldest friend waiting nearby—those were the nights that taught you who you actually were, and who you wanted to be.

She stood up, brushed leaves off her jeans, and walked toward the light.