The Art of Keeping Secrets

Maya's iPhone buzzed for the third time in five minutes. She ignored it, staring at the neon orange soda cans stacked pyramid-style on the patio table. The pool party at Westwood Country Club was supposed to be the social event of the summer, but mostly it felt like a performance she hadn't rehearsed for.

"Earth to Maya?" Jenna waved a hand in front of her face. "You've been lowkey zoning out. What's up?"

"Nothing," Maya lied, sliding her phone deeper into her pocket. She'd been 'spying' on Tyler's Instagram stories for twenty minutes, watching him live his best life while she stood there alone. Sad flex, really.

"Wanna play padel?" Jenna pointed toward the courts. "Tyler's over there."

Maya's heart did this stupid little flutter thing. "You go ahead. I'm gonna—"

"Chicken."

"Am not."

"Then prove it."

Fine. Maya grabbed a racquet and followed Jenna to the court. Tyler was there, laughing at something his friend said, his hair still wet from the pool. The sun caught the droplets on his shoulders like he was some kind of golden retriever come to life. Why was he so effortlessly everything?

"You wanna sub in?" Tyler called, spotting them. "We need a fourth."

Maya's brain short-circuited. "Uh. Yeah. Sure."

She stepped onto the court, gripping the racquet like her life depended on it. Five minutes in, she realized she was actually decent at this. The ball cracked off her racket, sailing past Tyler's outstretched arm. Point, Maya.

"Okay, killer," he laughed, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Since when do you play?"

"Since today," she shrugged, trying to play it cool even though her insides were screaming.

They played for an hour, the game stretching longer as the summer sun began to dip behind the clubhouse. Maya's phone stayed in her pocket. She didn't check it once. For the first time all day, she wasn't watching from the sidelines, wasn't scrolling through someone else's highlights. She was making her own.

"Same time next week?" Tyler asked as they headed back to the pool.

"Bet," Maya said, and for the first time, it wasn't a performance. It was just real.