The Palm-Sweat Pact

Maya's palms were practically dripping as she clutched her phone. The pool party. Jake's house. The social event of the sophomore year. And she had spinach stuck in her braces. She'd spent twenty minutes in front of the bathroom mirror, practically doing surgery with floss, but that stubborn green piece refused to budge. Her life was officially a pyramid of embarrassment, with this moment at the absolute peak.

'Just act cool,' she whispered to herself, slipping her phone into her bag. 'You got this.'

She walked through Jake's backyard gate, and the humidity hit her like a wall. The pool glittered like someone had dumped a million diamonds into the water. Everyone was there — the popular crew forming their usual pyramid by the deep end, couples practically swimming in each other's orbits, and then there was her, standing like a lost duckling in a mismatched bikini she'd bought on clearance because her mom said 'it's just a party, Maya.'

'There she is!' Jake called out, waving from the pool's edge. He was shirtless. Of course he was shirtless. And he was smiling at her. Actual, genuine smiling. 'Maya! Get in here! The water's perfect!'

Her palms were sweating so badly she could practically fill a small cup. She managed a weak thumbs-up, set her towel down on a lounge chair, and — because the universe had a personal vendetta against her — caught her reflection in the sliding glass door. The spinach was still there. A beautiful, vibrant green wedge wedged perfectly between her front teeth.

She made a split-second decision. Swimming. If she got in the water, maybe she could subtly rinse her mouth out without anyone noticing. It was either that or sprint home and change her name to something exotic like 'Sofia' and move to another country.

She waded into the pool, the cool water rising past her ankles, her knees, her waist. Jake swam over, grinning. 'Hey! I was hoping you'd make it.' He treaded water beside her, droplets clinging to his eyelashes.

Maya opened her mouth to say something suave — anything suave — but instead she heard herself blurt, 'Do I have anything in my teeth?'

Jake blinked, then laughed. Actually laughed. Not mean-laughed, but this warm, genuine sound that made her chest feel weirdly fluttery. He reached out, gently plucked the spinach from her braces, and flicked it away into the water like it was nothing.

'You're good now,' he said, still smiling. 'Wanna race to the other side?'

And just like that, Maya's palms stopped sweating. The pyramid of terror in her mind crumbled. She was just a girl in a pool with a boy who didn't care about spinach. 'You're going down, Jake,' she shot back, and dove forward, cutting through the water like she'd been waiting for this moment her whole life.