The Cat in the Hat Selfie

Maya's crush on Jake had reached code red level. Which was unfortunate, because she was currently hiding in the bathroom at Chloe's party, hyperventilating into her oversized beanie hat.

"You can do this," her best friend Sierra texted. "Just go out there and talk to him. You're literally wearing your lucky cat hat for a reason."

Right. The hat. It was ridiculous — a black beanie with tiny embroidered cat ears that Maya had impulse-bought during her identity crisis phase junior year. But somehow, it had become her armor. Her "if I'm wearing this, I can survive anything" security blanket.

She pulled herself together and pushed open the bathroom door.

And there he was. Jake. Standing by the chips.

Maya froze. This was it. Her moment. She started toward him, hand already reaching into her pocket for her iphone, thinking maybe she'd casually ask if he wanted to take a selfie or something smooth and normal like that.

But then something streaked past her legs. A cat — someone had brought their actual pet to this party, because of course they had.

The cat, clearly under the impression that Maya's hat was some kind of enemy or snack, launched itself upward. In what felt like slow motion, Maya watched as claws extended, paws found purchase, and suddenly there was a live cat perched on her head like the world's most chaotic fashion accessory.

People were staring. Jake was staring.

The cat peered down from atop Maya's head, tail swishing with regal indifference. Someone — Chloe, probably — started laughing. Then someone else. Then everyone.

Maya wanted to evaporate. This was it. The end of her social life. The mortifying finale to her already-pathetic crush situation.

But then Jake was there. Grinning. Actually grinning.

"That's literally the most legendary thing I've ever seen," he said. "Can I get a picture?"

Maya's brain short-circuited. "Wait — really?"

"Yeah, for my story. This is gold." He held up his phone.

And that was how Maya ended up in the group chat that night: the girl with the cat on her head, wearing her lucky cat ears hat, somehow standing next to Jake like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Sometimes the most embarrassing moments become the best ones. And sometimes, just sometimes, your security blanket finds a way to work its magic after all.

Especially when actual cats get involved.