The Cat Who Knew

Maya stood outside Jordan's house, clutching a solo cup filled with tap water like it was some exotic potion. Her sister had told her to bring her own drink—apparently the punch at these things was suspect—but she felt ridiculous carrying around plain water like some kind of health influencer.

"Hey, you're Jordan's neighbor, right?"

Maya jumped, nearly spilling her water. It was Alex from AP Chem, looking annoyingly perfect in vintage denim.

"Yeah, I'm Maya."

"Cool. You want some of this?" He gestured to a bowl of gummy vitamins on the counter. "Jordan's mom thinks they're actual candy. We've been eating them all night."

Maya laughed, surprised. "Those are literally multivitamins. You're gonna turn into the healthiest people at this party."

"That's the plan," Alex deadpanned, and Maya found herself grinning. Maybe this wouldn't be so terrible.

Two hours later, she was curled up on the back porch with a calico cat that had appeared seemingly from nowhere. The cat—whose name turned out to be Pickles, according to the collar—had decided Maya's lap was acceptable.

"You're just here for the warmth, aren't you?" Maya murmured, scratching behind Pickles' ears. The cat purred like a tiny motor, completely unbothered by the muffled bass bumping inside.

Alex slid the door open. "There you are. Jordan's looking for... oh.

He stopped. The porch light flickered on, illuminating Maya, the cup of abandoned water, and the cat who was now blinking at him with judgment.

"Pickles likes you," Alex said, sitting on the steps. "She hates everyone."

"We understand each other," Maya said. "We're both socially anxious and hiding on porches."

Alex laughed, and it was genuine, not performative. "Same, honestly. These things exhaust me."

They sat there for an hour, trading stories about terrible classes and weird teachers while the cat alternated between their laps. The bass from inside became a distant throb, like a heart they'd opted out of.

When Maya's phone buzzed—her sister asking where she was—she realized she hadn't touched her water. She hadn't needed to perform anything out here.

"Hey," Alex said as she stood up. "Maybe we could... I don't know, study for that chem test together sometime?"

Maya smiled, Pickles finally abandoning her for a moth near the light. "Yeah. I'd like that."

Walking home, she could still hear the party, feel the phantom warmth of the cat. Some nights, she thought, the real thing happens when everyone else is busy pretending.