The Cat Who Saw Everything

My cat Bean witnessed the entire disaster, sprawled across my laptop like he was the one assigned to write my English essay instead of me. Outside, the sounds of the Miller's pool party drifted through my open window—laughter, splashing, and the distant crack of a baseball hitting a bat in the park next door.

"You're not going, are you?" Maya asked from my bed, scrolling through Instagram. "It's gonna be so awkward after you and Tyler—"

"We're fine," I cut her off, grabbing my favorite gray beanie from the dresser. "We're chill."

The hat was my security blanket, pulled low enough to hide whatever expression I couldn't control. Bean meowed, like he knew I was lying.

The pool party was exactly what I'd expected: Tyler holding court in the shallow end, his baseball cap backward, surrounded by people hanging on his every word. When our eyes met across the pool, I froze. Then I saw—sprawled across the poolside chair, pristine and brand-new—my limited edition snapback.

The one I'd lost at last week's game.

The one Tyler swore he hadn't seen.

My face burned. I turned to leave, but then—

"Yo, Alex!" Tyler called, pushing through the water. "Wait, I was gonna—"

Bean, who'd somehow followed me and was now sitting calmly by the pool fence, let out the most judgmental meow I'd ever heard.

"Is that your cat?" Sarah, Tyler's ex, asked, her face softening. "Oh my god, can I pet him?"

Bean, the traitor, trotted right up to Sarah and purred so loudly half the party turned to look.

"He's usually so shy," I said awkwardly, suddenly aware of how ridiculous I looked in my beanie while everyone else was in swimsuits.

"Take off the hat, Alex," Sarah said, grinning. "It's ninety degrees."

So I did.

And you know what? The world didn't end. Tyler apologised about the snapback ("I was gonna give it back, I swear, I just wanted to look cool for a minute"). Maya showed up and immediately made friends with three people. And Bean became an honorary guest, lapping up shrimp cocktail from a paper plate like he hadn't just eaten an entire can of tuna at home.

Sometimes you need your cat to remind you that you don't have to hide. Even if he's going to demand shrimp as payment.