The Palm Reader's Prophecy

Maya's sweaty palm pressed against the scratched folding table. The school carnival lights flickered overhead, casting a weird glow on the neon purple banner that promised YOUR FATE FOR $2. Behind her, someone laughed—that distinctively loud laugh that belonged to Tyler, the guy she'd been crushing on since September.

"So," said Sasha, leaning forward with her most mystical expression, which meant widening her eyes dramatically and lowering her voice two octaves. "Your love line is... complicated."

Maya's heart did that thing where it felt like lightning had struck her chest. Complicated? What did that even mean? She'd spent the last three months trying to make her crush on Tyler not complicated at all—by pretending it didn't exist. Her best friend had caught her staring at him during lunch so many times that it was basically a running joke at this point.

"Complicated good or complicated bad?" Maya asked, trying to sound casual but probably failing.

Sasha shrugged. "The universe doesn't do binary, babe. But I'm seeing... challenges. Obstacles."

Behind them, someone dropped their tray. Food scattered everywhere—fries sliding across the floor, and oh no, was that spinach? Because nothing said social suicide quite like having green stuff stuck in your teeth while your crush was literally five feet away. Maya instinctively covered her mouth.

"You okay?" Tyler's voice came from right behind her.

Maya froze. This was it. The moment. She turned around slowly, still covering her mouth with one hand. "Yeah, just... you know."

"You got a little something," Tyler said, gesturing to his own smile. Then he laughed—not mean, just kind of amused. "Spinach, maybe?"

Maya wanted to die. Actually die. The ground could open up and swallow her whole, and she would be grateful.

"Here," Tyler said, pulling a napkin from his pocket and handing it to her. "Happens to the best of us."

Their fingers brushed for like half a second. Maya's palm was still sweating. She felt like she'd been struck by lightning again, but the good kind this time.

"Thanks," she mumbled, wiping at her teeth.

"Hey," Tyler said. "You doing anything later? The carnival's kind of lame, but there's that food truck outside."

Sasha, still behind her, gave Maya a thumbs-up behind Tyler's back.

Maya grinned. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm free."

So maybe the palm reader was right. Maybe it was complicated. But sometimes, complicated was exactly what you wanted.