Summer Night Signals

Maya stared at her reflection, fingers tangled in frizzy **hair** that refused to cooperate. Tonight was Jordan's party — the first real party of sophomore year, and everyone who mattered would be there. Her phone buzzed with texts from the group chat: "u coming??" "plz say yes" "we need u there"

She grabbed the old **orange** spray bottle from her bathroom counter. Her grandmother swore by this stuff for "taming wild strands," but Maya mostly just loved how it smelled like citrus and confidence. Three spritzes later, her curls finally fell into something resembling intentional style.

Outside, her mom's boyfriend's tabby cat — Banana, because apparently that was hilarious — wove through her legs, nearly tripping her. The **cat** purred like a tiny motor, completely oblivious to social catastrophes.

"You're not helping," Maya muttered, stepping over him and grabbing her bike.

The August air was thick enough to chew. Her **palm** sweated against the handlebars, leaving damp patches that matched the ones growing under her arms. Why did everything feel so high-stakes? It was just Jordan's house. Just chips and soda and maybe some awkward slow dancing if she was unlucky.

Or lucky.

She hadn't stopped thinking about that moment in chem lab last week when Marcus had laughed at her terrible joke about covalent bonds. His eyes had crinkled up, and for three seconds, she'd felt like maybe someone actually saw her. Not as the quiet girl in the back row, but as someone funny.

The party noise hit her before she even turned the corner. Bass thumping through closed windows, laughter spilling onto the lawn. Maya's stomach did that familiar flip-flop thing that happened right before something could go amazing or terrible.

Her phone buzzed again. Marcus: "hey u coming? saved u a spot on the couch"

Maya grinned, wiping her sweaty palm on her jeans. Maybe tonight wouldn't be about transforming into someone else. Maybe it would be about showing up as herself and seeing what happened.

She knocked on Jordan's door, heart racing, ready.