The Fox in the Feed

Maya's phone buzzed for the third time in five minutes. Another notification from @foxglove99. Her Instagram bestie. Her soul sister. Her everything.

'U up? Need to tell u something important'

Maya typed 'yeah what's up' while her heart did nervous little flip-flops. They'd been talking for six months since @foxglove99 had commented on her post about being the only queer kid in their conservative small town. Finally, someone who got it.

Her actual friend situation was tragic. The friend group at school had splintered sophomore year when Jenna started dating Maya's crush, and suddenly Maya was the awkward third wheel in her own life. So @foxglove99—real name Riley, supposedly—became her lifeline.

Riley sent voice notes about their cat, Mochi, who had the attitude of a diva and the face of an angel. Maya had saved so many screenshots of Mochi that her camera roll was basically a shrine to this cat she'd never met.

'This is hard,' Riley's next message read. 'I haven't been totally honest with u.'

Maya's stomach dropped. This was it. The classic catfish. She should've known—why would someone cool and confident want to be friends with her? She was just Maya from Nowhere, Ohio, with zero social life and a dairy allergy.

Her bedroom door creaked open. Her little sister Liza stood there holding their actual cat, Nacho, like a baby. 'Mom says dinner's ready. Also, you've been staring at your phone for an hour. You look possessed.'

'Shut up, Liza.'

'Just saying. You're obsessed with this person you've never even met.' Liza adjusted Nacho in her arms. 'It's suss, Maya. People lie online. That's literally the first thing they teach us in middle school.'

Maya ignored her and typed back: 'whatever it is I can handle it'

'I'm not a girl,' Riley sent. 'I'm a trans guy. And I'm scared you won't want to be friends anymore.'

Maya stared at the screen. Then stared some more. All that buildup for... that?

'Dude,' she typed. 'I literally came out as non-binary last year. Why would I care?'

'Really? I thought you were a lesbian this whole time'

'And I thought you were some trendy art student in Portland'

'I'm fifteen. I live in Indiana. I've never even been to Portland'

Maya started laughing so hard that Nacho—curled up at the foot of her bed—lifted his head in judgment. Liza poked her head back in. 'You okay? You look unhinged.'

'I'm good,' Maya said, still giggling. 'Better than good.'

A fox darted across their backyard the next morning. Maya watched it through the kitchen window, quick and clever and unapologetic. Something about it made her think about honesty, and how sometimes the truths we're most scared to share are the ones that bring us closer together.

@foxglove99 sent a photo later that afternoon: Mochi the cat, wearing a tiny rainbow collar. 'Real friend application submitted,' the caption read. 'References available upon request.'

Maya screenshotted it immediately. Some things were worth keeping.