The Friend Code

Maya's palms were sweating as she stood outside the cafeteria, clutching the crumpled note she'd found stuffed in her locker. Someone was playing a dangerous game, and she was pretty sure she knew exactly who.

"You're literally vibrating," said Jordan, sliding up beside her. "What's got you so pressed?"

Maya hesitated. Jordan was supposed to be her best friend, but ever since freshman year started, everything had shifted. Jordan was hanging with the popular crowd now, the ones who moved through the hallways like they owned the place. Meanwhile, Maya was still the same girl who read during lunch and got nervous when teachers called on her.

"Nothing," Maya lied, shoving the note deeper into her pocket. It was signed "The Spy"—which was honestly so extra, but the message had made her stomach drop: *I know what you did at Sam's party.*

The problem was, Maya hadn't done anything at Sam's party. She hadn't even gone.

"Cool, cool." Jordan adjusted their beanie, the one with the tiny bear embroidered on the cuff. Jordan's grandma had made it, back before Jordan decided pronouns were they/them and stopped caring what anyone thought. "Hey, you coming to the game tonight? Everyone's going."

"Maybe." Maya's phone buzzed. Another text from an unknown number: *Meet me by the palm tree in the courtyard after school. Or everyone finds out.*

This was getting out of hand. Maya had spent the last three weeks watching Jordan slip away, trading their inside jokes for TikTok trends and weekend plans with people who'd barely looked at them in middle school. It hurt more than Maya wanted to admit.

After final bell, Maya's heart hammered as she approached the courtyard. The old palm tree rustled in the wind, and there—

"Surprise!"

Jordan jumped out from behind the trunk, holding a ridiculous leopard-print hat. "Gotcha!"

"What?" Maya stared. "You're The Spy?"

"Okay, first off, that was obviously your summer camp "spy" phase handwriting. And second," Jordan's smile faltered, "I've been trying to get you alone for weeks. You've been weirdly distant."

"Me? You're the one who's too cool for lunch at our table now."

"What?" Jordan looked genuinely confused. "Maya, I sit at the popular table because I'm tutoring Chloe in algebra. Her parents are paying me twenty bucks an hour. I'm literally doing it to save up for that concert we talked about." Jordan gestured with the ridiculous hat. "This was supposed to be my peace offering. I saw you looking at it at Urban Outfitters last month."

Maya felt her face heat up. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh." Jordan laughed, but there was something soft in their expression. "You're my person, May. That's not changing just because I'm making bank off Chloe's terrible math skills."

Maya exhaled, the tightness in her chest finally loosening. "I thought—"

"I know what you thought." Jordan handed her the hat. "Which is why I had to stage this whole ridiculous intervention. Also, your spy game is weak. You used the same emoji pattern from seventh grade."

Maya groaned. "I forgot about that."

"Clearly." Jordan slung an arm around her shoulders. "Now come on. I have to tell you about how Chloe tried to argue that negative numbers aren't real. It was honestly tragic."

As they walked toward the parking lot, Maya realized something: growing up wasn't about losing people—it was about learning who was willing to stick around through the awkward, messy parts. And Jordan? Jordan had always been right there, bear hat and all.