The Night We Got Real

Friday night at Taco Bell, Chloe dropped her chalupa and stared at me like I'd grown a second head. That's when I knew our friendship had hit DEFCON 1.

"You're not coming to Jordan's party?" she asked, voice pitching up. "That's bull, Maya. Everyone's gonna be there."

I nudged my tray away, stomach knotting. "My mom's working double shift again. I've got my sister."

"Bring her. No one cares. Liam's gonna be there." She wiggled her eyebrows. "You've been crushing on him since seventh grade."

Liam, who'd called me 'Maya Not Today' in front of the entire freshman English class when I'd forgot to read the assigned chapter. Liam, whose Instagram was 80% mirror selfies.

But I knew why she was pushing. Chloe had been talking to Jordan — all lowercase, all subtle — for three weeks. She needed her friend there.

Then I saw her face. Not the annoyance, but underneath it. The same look she'd given me when her dad moved out, when she'd crashed on my floor for three nights straight. She wasn't being a jerk. She was scared.

Outside, the August air hit us like a wall. My phone buzzed. Mom, texting me she'd picked up an extra shift. Could I handle dinner?

I looked at Chloe, really looked at her. The girl who'd shared her lunch with me every day in sixth grade when I couldn't afford mine. The friend who'd worn that hideous neon skirt I'd made in home ec because I'd cried when no one else would.

Some fox — clever and tricky — I'd been, plotting ways out of everything that scared me. But real friendship wasn't about being smooth. It was about showing up, even when you'd rather stay home in sweatpants.

"Fine," I said, pulling out my phone to text my sister. "But you owe me. Like, owe-me-lunch-for-a-week owe me."

Chloe's grin was worth it. "Deal. And Maya?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for not making me beg."

Maybe I wouldn't talk to Liam. Maybe the party would be awkward and I'd spend two hours holding up a wall. But some nights, being a friend mattered more than being cool. And that was the truth, no bull about it.