The Fox by the Deep End

Maya's palms were sweating, and she was three houses away from Sarah's party. Of course. The one party Leo would be at, and her nervous system was already betraying her. She checked her phone—dead. She'd forgotten her charging cable at home. Classic Maya move.

The backyard was already popping when she arrived.Kids everywhere, music bumping, the pool glittering blue under fairy lights. Sarah's mom had gone all out—huge bowls of snacks, including this weird spinach dip that looked like something from a science experiment.

"Maya! You made it!" Sarah materialized, handing her a red Solo cup. "Leo's by the deep end."

"I know," Maya said, trying to play it cool. "I was just... admiring the landscaping." Smooth.

She grabbed a chip, dipped it in the spinach stuff, and took a bite. Not terrible. She was halfway through her second chip when Jace—Sarah's older brother and total fox—sauntered over.

"Hey, you're Maya, right? Leo's been asking about you."

Maya choked on her spinach dip. "He what?"

"Yeah, he's been watching you all night." Jace grinned. "But fair warning—he plays games. Trust me, I know my brother. He's like a fox, all cute until he remembers he's supposed to be wild." Jace winked and walked off to mess with the speaker cable.

Maya's heart was doing something complicated. She made her way to the pool's edge, where Leo was indeed swimming laps with ridiculous ease. He pulled himself out of the water, water droplets everywhere, and Maya's brain short-circuited.

"Hey," he said, shaking out his hair like some kind of movie protagonist. "I was hoping you'd show."

"You were?" Maya's voice squeaked. Cool. So cool.

"Yeah. You know, for someone who's been watching me all night, you're surprisingly bad at being subtle about it."

Maya felt her face catch fire. "I wasn't—I don't—"

Leo laughed, and it was annoyingly genuine. "I'm messing with you. I've been stealing glances too. You want to go somewhere quieter? This party's kind of overwhelming."

Maya looked at him—really looked at him. Wet hair, genuine smile, and a whole lot of cute. And then she felt it: something in her chest unclench. Maybe tonight wouldn't be a disaster after all.

"Yeah," she said, her palms suddenly dry. "I'd like that."