The Papaya Incident

Maya's phone buzzed in her pocket, the vibration against her hip more persistent than the bass thumping through Kyle's living room. She pulled out her iPhone, heart doing that stupid little flutter it always did when his name appeared on screen.

u coming? - Kyle

She stared at the text, thumbs hovering. She'd spent forty-five minutes on her eyeliner, precisely five minutes crying in the bathroom because nothing looked right, and another ten agonizing minutes over whether to wear the beanie her grandma gave her or let her curls go wild. She'd chosen the hat — now she was sweating under it, but at least she looked vaguely artsy.

yeah otw

The front door swung open and she stepped inside, immediately overwhelmed. Too many people, too much noise, too much everything. Her friend Jordan materialized at her elbow, already holding two red cups.

"You made it!" Jordan shouted over the music, handing her one. "Careful, it's strong."

Maya took a tiny sip and nearly gagged. "What is this?"

"Papaya juice and vodka. Kyle's mom has this health kick going on, so the fridge is full of weird fruit stuff."

Papaya. Of course. The most un-chill fruit on earth, and here it was, ruining her night before it even started.

Then she saw him. Kyle by the aquarium in the corner, the blue light reflecting off his face as he fed goldfish to his actual goldfish. He looked ridiculous and perfect and Maya's chest did that tight, panicky thing it always did when she was about to embarrass herself.

She started toward him, but Jordan grabbed her arm. "Wait, Maya, are you sure? Last time—"

"Last time was eighth grade, Jordan. I'm different now."

"You're still you," Jordan said softly. "And that's actually kind of great."

Maya kept walking. The room spun, or maybe she was spinning. Kyle turned, spotted her, and his face lit up in this way that made her knees genuinely threaten to give out.

"Maya!" He gestured at the fish tank. "This is Bubblegum. She thinks she's a shark."

"Bubblegum the goldfish," Maya repeated, and it came out more sarcastic than she intended. Why did she always do this?

But Kyle just laughed. "Exactly. Want to help me terrorize her?"

And just like that, the knot in her chest loosened. Maybe the papaya juice wasn't so bad. Maybe the hat wasn't making her sweat as much as she thought. Maybe she didn't have to be different, or better, or cooler. She just had to show up.

"Terrorize," she said, grinning. "Absolutely."