The Orange Dress Code

Maya stood at the edge of the pool, clutching her towel like a shield. Everyone else was already in the water, laughing. Jake's party—the one she'd been stressing about for weeks.

She'd worn her navy swimsuit, but somehow everyone else had gotten the memo to wear orange. Bright orange, pastel orange, orange polka dots. An unspoken dress code she'd missed. Suddenly she felt painfully, obviously out of place.

"Maya!" Jake called from the padel court. "Come play! We need a fourth!"

Her heart did that annoying flutter thing. But also, panic. She'd never played padel in her life.

"I don't know how," she called back.

"It's easy! We'll teach you!" Chloe waved her racquet.

She walked toward the court, feeling exposed.

Jake showed her how to hold the racquet. After clumsy misses, Maya connected. Suddenly she was in the middle of this fast game, running and laughing and actually having fun. She forgot about being the new girl, forgot about not knowing the unspoken rules. For once, she wasn't overthinking everything.

Afterward, they gathered around the fruit platter. Jake's mom was into exotic fruits, which explained the papaya.

"Try some?" Jake asked, holding out a piece.

Maya looked at it. The texture made her stomach turn—mushy and soft. But Jake looked at her with those warm brown eyes, and she took it.

The flavor was subtle, but the texture was wrong. She forced herself to swallow.

"So?" Jake asked.

"It's interesting," she managed. "Not what I expected."

"You either love it or hate it," Sofia said. "I hated it the first time."

The sun set, turning everything orange and pink. The pool reflected the colors. Jake sat beside her, dangling his feet.

"Thanks for playing," he said. "You're actually really good."

She felt warm. "That was, like, 50% luck."

He laughed, and his shoulder bumped hers. "You're funny."

Maybe this summer wouldn't be so bad.