The Afterparty Shift

The bathroom mirror showed Maya's mascara streaking down her face like black tears. Perfect. Just the vibe she wanted for Lucas's party.

"You good?" Chloe called through the door, voice muffled by bass-thumping trap music.

"Yeah, just fixing my face," Maya lied. She wasn't good. She was the only junior who'd shown up solo to Lucas's rager, and now she was hiding in the bathroom like a loser.

She splashed cold water on her face, watching droplets roll down her cheeks. The word DOOR was scrawled on the mirror in dry-erase marker — some inside joke she wasn't part of. That's when she noticed it: a tiny black cat sticker tucked in the corner, barely visible.

"Cat," she whispered. Her heart did this weird little flip. Someone else here liked cats too?

The door creaked open. A guy with messy brown hair and galaxy-print boxers (yes, really) stood there holding a red solo cup. Great.

"Sorry, didn't know —"

"It's fine," she said too quickly. "I was leaving anyway."

"Wait." He stepped back. "You're Maya, right? From AP Lit?"

She froze. "Yeah?"

"I'm Ethan. Lucas's cousin." He gestured to the cat sticker. "I put that there. My cat, Potato, died last week. Needed to memorialize him somewhere ridiculous."

Maya actually laughed. "Potato?"

"My sister named him. We were seven, don't judge." Ethan's phone buzzed. "Crap. My friend's dog got into the snacks again. BRB."

"Wait, what?"

"Long story." He ducked back into the hallway. "You coming?"

Maya looked at her reflection one more time. The mascara was still smudged, her hair was frizzy from the humidity, and she was about to follow a guy in galaxy boxers to deal with a dog emergency.

She grinned. This was not the night she'd planned.

"Yeah," she said, stepping into the hallway. "Yeah, I'm coming."