Summer of Secrets

The hat was weird. That was the first thing I noticed about Tyler's new friend — a black fedora that looked like it belonged in a detective movie from the 1950s, not at my brother's graduation party. But whatever. I was there for the free food.

I was piling my plate with spinach dip when I saw it — Tyler's new friend Marcus, ducking behind the garage with his iPhone held like a weapon, camera pointed at our neighbor's house. My sixteen-year-old brain immediately went to the most dramatic conclusion possible: Marcus was a SPY.

Obviously, I had to investigate.

The next day, I found myself at the community pool, pretending to be absorbed in my swimming laps while keeping one eye on Marcus, who was sitting on a bench wearing the same fedora and typing furiously on his phone. The fact that he was fully clothed in ninety-degree heat made him even more suspicious.

"You're staring," said a voice behind me.

I spun around to find Chloe, the girl I'd been crushing on all summer, dripping wet and looking impossibly chill. "I'm not staring. I'm observing potential criminal activity."

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "The guy in the fedora?"

"You've noticed him too?"

"Everyone has. He's been 'spying' on old man Henderson for weeks." She made air quotes. "Tyler says he's writing a true crime podcast about the neighborhood."

My face burned hotter than the pavement. "A podcast?"

"Yeah. Marcus is obsessed with unsolved mysteries. Last week he tried to interrogate Mrs. Rodriguez about her 'suspiciously perfect' garden. Spoiler: she just has a green thumb."

I laughed, and Chloe's phone buzzed. She checked it and grinned. "Want to get smoothies? My treat."

"Absolutely."

As we walked away, I glanced back at Marcus. He was now taking photos of a squirrel with intense determination. The spy who wasn't a spy. The guy who'd accidentally helped me talk to Chloe.

Maybe I'd thank him. Or maybe I'd just let him keep fighting crime, one neighborhood squirrel at a time.