Splash Zone

The cable guy was still drilling holes in the wall when Maya's phone buzzed. *Pool party @ Jake's. 2pm. BE THERE.*

Maya froze. She'd spent the entire summer hiding in her room, her hair a frizzy disaster from that DIY dye job that turned her chestnut locks into something resembling traffic-cone orange. "Maybe they won't notice," she'd told herself then. Now she wasn't so sure.

"You going?" Her little brother appeared in the doorway, already wearing his baseball cap backward like he owned the place.

"Can't. Cable's out. Mom needs me to let the technician in."

"Lame excuse." He smirked. "Jake's gonna be there. You know, with the SMILE."

Maya felt her face burn. Okay, so maybe she'd mentioned Jake once. Or fifty times. Fine.

The cable guy finally emerged, dusting off his knees. "All set."

Maya's heart hammered. She could still make it.

She threw on her swimsuit—a modest black one-piece she'd outgrown last year—and grabbed her towel. Her hair was still a mess, but whatever. She French-braided it tight and hoped for the best.

When she arrived at Jake's house, the backyard was already packed. Bodies cannonballed into the pool. Music thumped. And there he was—Jake, sitting on the edge with a group of friends, his baseball cap turned around, laughing at something someone said.

Maya stood frozen at the gate. Everyone looked so confident, so effortless. And here she was, feeling like a fraud in her own body.

Then someone splashed water directly at her.

"Hey! Orange hair girl! Get in here!" Jake waved her over. "Your hair looks sick, by the way!"

Maya blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah! It's so bold." He grinned—that grin—and patted the spot beside him. "Sit. We're playing would you rather."

And just like that, the knot in her chest loosened. She wasn't the girl with the bad dye job anymore. She was Maya, the girl with the orange hair who Jake thought was bold.

She jumped in, pool water exploding everywhere, and finally felt like she could breathe.