The Cat Behind the Bleachers

Maya's iphone buzzed for the third time in five minutes. Another party she wasn't invited to. She swiped it away, staring at the baseball field where Jake Rodriguez stood at home plate, his swing smooth as honey. She'd been watching him from behind the backstop bleachers for weeks — basically a low-key spy operation, though her best friend Riya called it 'creepy with a side of simp.'

Whatever. Maya adjusted her brimmed hat, pulling it low over her forehead like armor. It was her dad's old baseball cap, smelled like leather and certainty. Two things she definitely didn't feel.

Jake connected with the ball. The crack echoed through her chest. She held her breath.

Then she heard it — a muffled meow from behind the dumpster.

Maya's stomach dropped. That was Herman's cry. Her cat. The one who'd vanished three days ago.

She scrambled toward the dumpster, hat nearly falling off, and found Herman curled around something shiny. An iphone. Not hers.

Jake's iphone, according to the cracked screen.

Her hands trembled as she picked it up. Herman purred like he'd just accomplished something legendary. The phone lit up with a notification: 'Riya <3' followed by a string of emojis that made Maya's throat close.

They'd been talking. Flirting. While Maya sat behind the bleachers playing detective.

'You found my phone.' Jake's voice behind her. Not from the field — he'd followed her. 'And your cat... Herman, right?'

Maya's face burned. 'I wasn't —'

'Spying?' Jake grinned, and it was better than his baseball swing. 'I've seen you. Behind the bleachers. Every game.' He scratched Herman behind the ears. 'I was waiting for you to actually say something. But then Riya started DMing me, and I thought...'

'You thought wrong,' Maya said, surprising herself.

Jake's eyes widened. 'Yeah. I did.'

Herman meowed, like, get it together, humans.

'So,' Jake said, 'wanna sit somewhere other than behind a dumpster next time?'

Maya adjusted her hat. 'Maybe. If Herman can come too.'

'Deal.'

Her phone buzzed again. Another party invite. This time, she didn't swipe it away.