The Papaya Protocol

Maya's fingers hovered over the send button, heart doing that stupid fluttery thing it always did when Lucas's name popped up on her phone. The pool deck baked in July heat, water shimmering like liquid diamonds in the California sun. She was supposed to be working—lifeguarding wasn't exactly rocket science—but her brain was 90% focused on whether to send that text.

"You gonna stare at your phone all day or actually, like, do your job?" Chloe said, dropping onto the chair beside her. Her best friend since seventh grade, now suddenly acting like she had better places to be. Which, okay, fair. Chloe had made varsity cheer. Maya was still "finding her path," as her mom put it. Code for: spectacularly mediocre at everything.

"I'm thinking," Maya said defensively.

"About Lucas?" Chloe's voice had that edge, the one Maya had been hearing all summer. Sharp. Jealous?

"Maybe."

"I saw him at Derek's party Friday." Chloe cracked her gum. "He was asking about you."

Maya sat up. "What? Really?"

"Yeah. But then he spent, like, two hours talking to Ashley." Chloe shrugged. "Just saying."

Maya's stomach sank. Because here's the thing: Chloe had been weirdly invested in Maya's crush lately. Like, weirdly invested. Asking twenty questions a day about Lucas's texts, who he was hanging out with, whether Maya thought he liked her. At first Maya thought it was just friend stuff—Chloe being Chloe—but now she was wondering.

"Have you been... spying on him?" Maya asked slowly.

"What? No!" Chloe's eyes went wide. But there was something there. Something flickering.

"Chloe."

"Fine! I've been, like, keeping tabs. Because you're my friend and I don't want you getting hurt!" Chloe's voice rose, shrill. "Ashley's been telling everyone she's gonna make a move and I—you know what? Never mind."

"What, Chloe?"

"I've been checking his Snapchat map, okay?" Chloe burst out. "Every couple hours. Just to see where he is, who he's with. I was gonna tell you if he was hanging out with her again!"

Maya stared. Her best friend had been digitally stalking her crush.

"That's... actually kind of psychotic?" Maya said, but she was laughing despite herself. "Also kind of sweet? In a messed-up way?"

"I'm a GOOD friend," Chloe insisted. "Unlike some people."

They fell silent, watching kids cannonball into the pool. The smell of chlorine and sunscreen filled the air. Maya's phone buzzed.

"He's at the yogurt place," Chloe said immediately, then covered her mouth. "Oops."

"You're obsessed," Maya said, but she grabbed her towel. "Let's go."

"Now? We're on the clock!"

"Dude, it's fine. Nobody's drowning yet." Maya stood up, then hesitated. "You coming?"

"Obviously." Chloe grabbed her stuff. "I'm your wingwoman. Whether you like it or not."

They walked to the yogurt place in the melting heat, air thick and sticky. Maya's palms were sweating. Lucas was there, exactly where Chloe said he'd be, sitting at a table with—yep. Ashley.

Maya stopped. "Of course."

"Wait!" Chloe grabbed her arm. "Look."

Ashley was laughing way too hard at something Lucas was saying, but Lucas? Lucas looked bored. He kept checking his phone.

"He's waiting for someone," Chloe whispered. "Maya... he sent YOU a snapchat fifteen minutes ago. You didn't see it?"

Maya unlocked her phone. There it was: a snap from Lucas. A picture of his yogurt cup with the caption: "this papaya flavor is weirdly good. saved u a seat if u want."

Papaya. Because he remembered. Last month, Maya had mentioned her grandma used to grow them in her backyard in the Philippines, how she missed that taste of home. Lucas had remembered.

"Oh my god," Maya breathed.

"GO!" Chloe shoved her.

But then Maya's phone died. Completely black screen. Of course. The charging cable at home was frayed; she'd been meaning to replace it for weeks.

"Are you kidding me RIGHT NOW?" Maya groaned.

"Use mine!" Chloe handed over her phone, already pulled up Lucas's contact. "I literally have his number memorized. For research purposes."

Maya stared at her. This girl. This weird, obsessive, amazing friend who had spent the entire summer digitally stalking a boy just so Maya wouldn't get hurt.

"You're the best," Maya said, "and also the weirdest person I know."

"Tell me something I don't know. Now TEXT HIM."

Maya typed: hey, coming in hot. save me some papaya.

Lucas looked up, saw them through the window, and grinned. Ashley was still talking, but he wasn't listening anymore.

"We're so doing this," Maya said.

"Obviously," Chloe said. "I already planned our opening line. And our exit strategy. And like, three backup topics if conversation dies."

Maya laughed. "You really need a hobby."

"This IS my hobby!" Chloe called, following her into the air-conditioned shop.

They walked in together—Maya with her stomach full of butterflies, Chloe with her detective skills and unwavering loyalty. And Lucas, waiting with two cups of papaya yogurt and the kind of smile that made everything else fade away.