Strikeout at Sunset

Marcus's palms were sweating so much he could practically water-ski on them. Standing behind the concession stand at Tyler's party, he watched Maya laugh at something Jake said — probably something baseball-related, because Jake was the varsity pitcher and basically walked on water in this town.

"Yo, you gonna hide back here all night?" his best friend Dre appeared, holding two sodas. "Maya's literally been looking for you."

"Yeah right," Marcus muttered, wiping his hands on his jeans. "She's busy talking to Mr. Golden Arm."

Just then, a scrawny calico cat wound around Marcus's legs, meowing like it owned the place. The cat from Mrs. Gable's porch down the street — the one everyone said was cursed because it showed up at weird moments.

"Great," Marcus sighed. "Even the neighborhood cat thinks I'm pathetic."

"That's not the cat talking," Dre said. "That's your insecurity."

Marcus looked down. The cat was staring at him with what looked like judgment in its yellow eyes. Then it trotted toward the party, right toward Maya and Jake.

"Oh no," Marcus started, but the cat was already weaving through people's legs. It stopped at Maya's feet and started purring like a motorboat.

Maya's face lit up. "Omg, this cat!" She scooped it up. "Hey, that's Marcus's cat!"

Marcus froze. Maya thought it was his?

"He lives down the street from me," Maya continued, scratching the cat's chin. "His name is Whiskers, right?"

The cat — definitely not Whiskers, definitely not Marcus's — purred enthusiastically.

"Um, yeah," Marcus found himself saying, stepping into the circle. "That's Whiskers."

Jake made a face like he'd smelled something rotten. "You have a cat?"

"Yeah," Marcus said, something rising in his chest. "And he's got better taste in people than you do."

The whole group went silent. Jake looked ready to throw a punch. But then Maya laughed — actually laughed.

"Okay, that was savage," she grinned at Marcus. "Wanna get out of here? Whiskers probably needs to get home."

As they walked down the street, the calico cat trotting alongside them like he'd been Marcus's pet forever, Marcus's palms were finally dry. Sometimes the best moments weren't the ones you planned for. They were the ones that found you when you least expected them. Even if they involved a borrowed cat and a terrible lie that somehow turned into the truth.