The Catfish Confession

Maya's third day of freshman year and her hair was already staging a rebellion. Frizzy from the humidity, it defied gravity, the gel's promises as fake as the Instagram filters everyone obsessed over. She tugged at a strand, wishing she could be anywhere but here—leaning against the chain-link fence near the varsity baseball diamond.

She was technically supposed to be at the library. Instead, she was basically a professional spy at this point, watching Liam from behind the oversized oak tree. He laughed at something his friend said, his uniform stained with dirt, perfect in that effortless way Maya could never pull off.

"You know he's not gonna notice you if you stay behind a tree," said a voice.

Maya jumped. Sasha, junior varsity captain, leaned against the fence, unimpressed. "I wasn't—"

"Spying? Yeah you were. You've been doing it all week. It's giving creepy, not cute."

Maya's face burned. "I'm just... observing."

"Observing is what scientists do. This is stalking."

A stray cat wound between Sasha's ankles—calico, patchy like it'd seen better days. Sasha crouched, scratching its ears. "This is Barnaby. He's got more game than you."

"Barnaby? Seriously?"

"What, you want him to be called Shadow? Like every other basic cat?" Sasha stood, dusting off her knees. "Look. Liam's cool or whatever, but he's also in honors pre-calc, does student council, and apparently volunteers at the animal shelter on weekends. His life is curated as hell."

"So?"

"So your hair looks awesome, by the way. Mine's this flat-ironed mess I have to redo every morning because I'm trying to be someone I'm not." Sasha's expression softened. "Point is, you're behind a tree spying on some guy who probably has a curated playlist for everything. You're out here being authentic with your rebellious hair and your zero chill. That's the vibe."

The baseball cracked against a bat. Liam didn't turn around.

Maya's hand went to her hair again. Then stopped. "You think?"

"I know. Also, Barnaby thinks you're cool. He doesn't like anyone." The cat head-butted Maya's shin. "See?"

Maya smiled. Maybe she'd walk home the long way. Maybe she'd stop being a spy and start being a person who existed outside of trees. And maybe—just maybe—she'd finally get a cat.