The Girl Who Learned to Howl

Maya's fingers flew across her iPhone screen, doomscrolling through posts that made her feel like everyone else was living a life she'd somehow missed the memo on. Sophie's party looked perfect. Every. Single. Photo.

Meanwhile, Maya was stuck at her grandma's farm for the weekend, absolutely roastable material if anyone found out. No service, no parties, just chores and the distinct smell of manure.

She'd been dodging texts from Blake all week. Ever since he'd decided to make her life a living hell in homeroom—snickering when she dropped her books, "accidentally" tripping her in the hallway—Maya had been playing it foxy. Sly, low-key, invisible. That was her survival strategy. Stay small. Stay safe.

But her grandma had other plans.

"That bull's been causing trouble," Grandma said, handing her a bucket of feed. "Your grandpa's back is acting up. You need to go check the south pasture."

Maya stared at her. "The bull? Like, the one that chased Grandpa last month?"

"He's just a big softie once he knows you're not afraid."

Easy for you to say, Maya thought, grabbing the bucket. Her iPhone was basically a paperweight out here anyway.

The south pasture was gorgeous, actually. Golden hour lighting, rolling hills, the kind of content Sophie would've killed for. Maya almost took a picture, but then she saw it.

A fox. Not a metaphorical one. An actual, copper-colored fox with the prettiest eyes she'd ever seen, standing right next to the massive bull that had been terrorizing the farm.

They were just... hanging out. The fox nibbled on grass near the bull's feet like they were besties. The bull looked at her, huffed, and went back to grazing.

Maya's breath caught. She'd spent months being scared of Blake, playing small, staying invisible—acting like she needed to be this cunning fox to survive. But the truth hit her like a slap in the face: she wasn't being foxy at all. She was just terrified.

This fox wasn't hiding. This fox was just existing, unbothered, next to something that could crush it.

"Damn," she whispered.

The fox looked at her, flicked its tail, and trotted off.

Maya walked up to the bull. Her heart hammered. She held out the bucket.

The bull sniffed it, then nudged her hand with his massive, velvety nose.

"Not so scary, huh?" she said, her voice shaking.

Back at the house, her iPhone buzzed. A text from Blake: "where u been loser?"

Maya stared at it. Then she typed back: "my grandma's farm. why, u miss me?"

Three dots appeared. Then disappeared.

She set down her phone and went to help Grandma with dinner. She'd figure out the rest tomorrow. Right now, she was done playing small.