Social Media Stalking Squad

Maya's dog Barnaby knew her routine better than anyone. Every day after school, she'd grab a vitamin gummy from the kitchen—her mom said they'd help her skin, but honestly, she just liked the cherry flavor—then sprint upstairs to her laptop. Barnaby would follow, his claws clicking on the hardwood, and jump onto her bed like he'd been doing this his whole life.

"Operation Crush Watch is a go," Maya whispered, clicking through Instagram stories like her life depended on it.

Her phone buzzed. Group chat: *Squad*

Layla: any updates on Jayden??

Zoe: i saw him in the hallway AGAIN and my hair looked so bad

Maya typed furiously: On it. He's at Starbucks with the soccer team. No girls present.

"You're basically a spy," Layla had told her last week, laughing. "The FBI should hire you."

Being the group's designated social media investigator wasn't exactly how Maya wanted to spend her sophomore year, but someone had to do it. Her friends were hopeless. Zoe literally hid behind a locker when she saw her crush walking down the hall. It was painful to witness.

Maya paused. A new post from Jayden. A sunset captioned "vibes." She screenshot it immediately and sent it to the group, analyzing the light, the angle, the fact that he was alone.

"He's deep," Zoe declared.

"Or just basic," Maya muttered.

Barnaby whined, nudging her hand. She scritched his ears, thinking about how she'd spent the last three weeks running surveillance on someone she barely knew. Her hair had started frizzing from all the stress. She was taking more vitamins. She was basically becoming a different person.

Her phone buzzed again. Layla: omg look who just viewed your story

Maya's heart stopped. It was Jayden.

"Operation successful?" she whispered to Barnaby. He licked her face.

Maybe tomorrow she'd actually say hello instead of just watching from behind her screen. Baby steps.