The Palm Reader's Truth

Maya's palms were sweating. Literally dripping. She wiped them on her dress for the third time, feeling like a total fraud. Everyone else at Jessica's party seemed so effortless—laughing, dancing, being normal. Meanwhile, Maya was cornered by Luna, the girl who'd transferred from California and claimed to be psychic.

"Let me see your palm," Luna said, grabbing Maya's hand before she could pull away. "Your life line is crazy deep. You're carrying something heavy."

Maya stiffened. Was it that obvious? The weight of expectations, of trying to be perfect, of never quite feeling enough... Luna's fingers traced the lines on her palm like she was reading a map to somewhere Maya had never been.

"You're going to meet someone important tonight," Luna announced dramatically. "Someone who'll change everything."

"Right," Maya scoffed, pulling her hand back. "Because that happens."

But then the back door flew open and Jake stumbled in, his hair wild from the wind, followed by his giant golden retriever, Buster. Jake's dad was the mayor or something, so apparently rules didn't apply. The dog immediately made a beeline for Maya's chips.

"Buster, no!" Jake lunged, crashing straight into Maya. They went down in a tangle of limbs and embarrassment.

"I am so sorry," Jake said, helping her up. His face was inches from hers, and wow—he had the longest eyelashes she'd ever seen. "He's usually not this... aggressive."

"It's fine," Maya lied, brushing dog hair off her dress. Her palms had somehow gotten sweatier.

"Hey, you're in my English class, right? Maya?" Jake grinned, and suddenly she understood what Luna meant about someone changing everything. Because Jake Rodriguez had never noticed her before, and now here he was, smiling at her like she was the only person in the room.

"Yeah," she managed. "English. With Mr. Harrison."

"Dude, I can't bear his lectures," Jake groaned. "They're literally painful."

Maya laughed before she could stop herself. And just like that, something shifted. The weight on her chest lightened. Luna caught her eye from across the room and winked.

Maybe there was something to this palm reading stuff after all.