Strikeout at the Pool Party

Maya's palms were sweating so bad she could practically fill a water bottle. Not that she'd admit that to anyone—especially not Jake, who was currently shirtless by the deep end, looking like he'd walked straight out of a TikTok thirst trap.

"You're literally vibrating," said Chloe, pulling her aside. "Chill. You got this."

Easy for Chloe to say. She wasn't the one who'd been crushing on Jake since seventh grade, back when he still wore those horrific cargo shorts. Now he was varsity baseball captain and somehow even more annoyingly attractive.

The party was in full swing. Someone had dragged out a massive extension cable to power the speakers, which were currently blasting some song that had been stuck in Maya's head for weeks. The pool water glowed blue from the underwater lights, and everywhere she looked, people were living their best summer lives.

"Hey!" Jake's voice made her jump. "You playing knockout or what?"

He was holding a basketball, gesturing toward the pool hoop. Because apparently Jake couldn't just excel at baseball—he had to dominate every sport known to humanity.

"Sure," Maya said, trying to sound casual. "Prepare to get destroyed."

The first shot went wide. So wide. Like, she-airballed-it-wide.

"Wow," Jake laughed, but not in a mean way. "That was... passionate."

Lightning flashed across the sky, and someone shouted that a storm was rolling in. But Maya was focused. The second shot swished through. The third one banked in off the backboard. And the fourth? The fourth blocked Jake's attempt cleanly, sending the ball flying into some unsuspecting freshman's drink.

"Okay, okay, dang," Jake said, rubbing his jaw dramatically. "Where did that come from?"

"I've got layers," Maya said, suddenly feeling lighter. "I'm not just a pretty face."

He laughed, and something in his expression shifted. Like he was actually seeing her for the first time—not just Chloe's quiet friend who sat behind him in history.

"I see that," he said. Then, more quietly: "Hey, want to hang out inside? Before the storm hits?"

Maya glanced at Chloe, who was already giving her two thumbs up behind Jake's back.

"Yeah," Maya said, and her palms weren't sweating anymore. "I'd like that."