The Cat That Stole Home

Maya's orange hair was supposed to be a statement. Instead, it felt like a neon sign advertising TRYING TOO HARD. Which she was, obviously.

"Your hair looks sick, honestly," Chloe said, but Maya caught the smirk she exchanged with Kayla. They were at the baseball field behind the school, the spot where the popular crowd gathered before football games. Maya had spent forty-five minutes curling her hair this morning. Now humidity was turning it into a frizzy halo.

A calico cat appeared near the dugout, tail twitching.

"Oh my god, it's so cute!" Chloe squealed, abandoning Maya immediately. The group swarmed the cat, cooing and snapping photos.

Maya stayed back. She'd never fit in with these people, no matter what color she dyed her hair.

The cat bolted—straight toward the woods behind left field.

"Wait!" Chloe called out. "Someone grab it!"

Nobody moved.

Maya found herself running. She didn't know why, except suddenly she was MOVING, legs pumping, breath catching in her throat. The cat led her past the bleachers, through a cluster of trees, and then—

Water.

A swimming pool, glinting through the branches. Someone's backyard oasis. The cat sat on the edge, tail curled around its paws, watching her.

Maya stood there, heart hammering, hair absolutely wrecked, sweating through her favorite crop top. And then she started laughing. Like, actually laughing.

What was she doing? Chasing a cat? Trying to impress people who made fun of her hair? She was DONE.

She kicked off her sandals. The pool water was shockingly cold, perfect, washing away the sticky heat, the anxiety, the need to perform. She floated on her back, staring at the sky through the trees, and realized something:

Her hair looked way cooler when she stopped trying so hard.

The cat was still watching when she climbed out, dripping and smiling. It dipped its head slightly, like acknowledgment.

"Yeah, yeah," Maya said. "I see you."

Walking back, she ran into Chloe and the others. They stared at her soaked clothes and frizzy orange hair.

"What happened to you?" Chloe asked.

Maya grinned. "Just chasing cats. Living my best life."

And for the first time, she actually meant it.