Spinach Teeth and Summer Skies

Pool parties at Maya's house were legendary, but that didn't stop my hands from sweating as I clutched my solo cup like it was a lifeline. Everyone looked so effortless, so at home in their skin, while I felt like I'd been invited to the wrong dimension.

"Hey Kai, you gonna swim or just stand there looking like a total lost cause?" That was Leo, the boy I'd been lowkey crushing since seventh grade. He was shirtless, droplets of water clinging to his shoulders like they knew exactly where they wanted to be.

"I'm contemplating the philosophical implications of pool water chemistry," I said, because apparently my brain had decided today was the day to max out my cringe levels.

Leo laughed. Actually laughed. Not the mean kind, but genuine. "You're so weird, bro. I dig it."

My heart did that embarrassing flutter thing. I started to smile back, feeling maybe, just maybe, I could actually survive this party without spontaneously combusting.

Then I spotted it in the reflection of the sliding glass door: a massive piece of **spinach** stuck between my front teeth. From lunch. Four hours ago.

I wanted to die. Actually die. Like, dissolve into the atmosphere immediately.

Before I could escape to the bathroom and reevaluate all my life choices, movement caught my eye. A real live **fox** stood at the edge of the woods, copper coat glowing like something out of a storybook. It wasn't looking at the chaos of teenagers or the blaring music. It was just watching, calm as could be, like it knew something we didn't.

Then it turned and disappeared into the trees without a sound.

"Did you see that?" I whispered, more to myself than anyone.

"See what?" Leo had somehow drifted closer.

"The fox. It was like... I don't know, chill? Just doing its thing without caring what anyone thought."

Leo looked at me, really looked at me, and something shifted. "You know what? That's actually kind of profound." He grinned. "Also, you have spinach in your teeth."

"I KNOW," I groaned, covering my face. "I saw it in the reflection and was having an internal crisis."

"Bro, it happens. Last month I had guacamole in my beard for like three hours at Jordan's party. Nobody said anything because we were all too busy trying to look cool. Which, by the way, none of us are."

I peeked through my fingers. "Seriously?"

"Dead ass. We're all just pretending. Well, except for **Cat** Harper." He pointed across the deck where Cat was somehow making cannonball announcements sound elegant. "She's actually built different."

Something loosened in my chest. Not everything - I was still nervous, still felt like an outsider - but maybe that was okay. Maybe being the person who noticed foxes at the edge of the woods while everyone else was performing coolness wasn't the worst thing to be.

"I'm going to go get this spinach out of my teeth," I said, finally actually moving. "Then I'm coming back to actually swim."

"Bet." Leo's grin was soft. "Save me a seat?"

"Yeah," I said, and for the first time all day, I didn't feel like I was lying.