The Fox at the Pool

Maya's iPhone vibrated against the pool chair for the third time in five minutes. She ignored it, of course. Just like she'd ignored the twelve texts from Jenna asking where she was.

Because the truth was, Maya was hiding behind the concession stand, clutching a spinach salad she'd bought to look healthy in front of the swimming team. The same team where Landon—the gorgeous junior who'd actually looked at her in chemistry Friday—practiced daily.

"Yo, Earth to Maya." Her best friend Skylar appeared, dripping wet. "Landon's literally two feet away. Put the phone down."

Maya shoved her iPhone under her towel. "I'm not even stalking his socials. I was just... studying his baseball stats. For conversation."

"For conversation?" Skylar raised an eyebrow. "You don't even know what a home run is."

"Excuse me, I'll have you know my dad played baseball in college."

"Your dad sells insurance and you know it."

Before Skylar could continue roasting her, something rustled in the bushes behind them. Not a person. An actual fox—a sleek copper-colored one with the brightest eyes Maya had ever seen—trotted right past them, carrying someone's stolen sandwich in its mouth like it owned the place.

The fox paused at Maya's feet, dropped the sandwich, and looked up at her like, *what?* It was somehow majestic and completely unbothered.

"Did that fox just...?" Skylar whispered.

Then Landon's voice called out, "Hey! Is that a fox?"

Maya turned around, spinach stuck between her front teeth, clutching her phone, and there he was. Shirtless. Perfect. Walking toward them.

"Yeah," Maya said, accidentally spraying spinach as she spoke. "We're basically friends now."

Landon laughed—not a mean laugh, but a real one. "That's honestly so cool. I've never seen a fox here before." He looked right at Maya, not her phone, not Skylar. *At her.* "I'm Landon, by the way."

"Maya," she said, wiping her mouth with her palm. Because obviously.

"Nice to meet you, Maya." He grinned. "Hey, some of us are playing baseball over at the park after practice. You should come."

The fox sat down by her foot like a furry approval stamp. Skylar mouthed *OH MY GOD.*

And suddenly Maya's spinach salad and carefully curated social media presence and entire overthinking existence didn't matter. She just smiled, wide and unapologetic.

"Yeah," she said. "I'd love that."