The Pool Party Incident

Maya's hands were shaking so badly she nearly dropped her **iphone** into the bathroom sink. Three dots had been bouncing on Jordan's text for ten minutes. *You coming to the party?* it had said, and Maya had typed and deleted at least twenty responses.

"You're overthinking again," she whispered to her reflection, smoothing her bright **orange** bikini top. Her best friend Priya had picked it out, claiming it made her skin glow. Now Maya felt like a traffic cone.

The party was already in full swing when she arrived at Chloe's house. Music thumped from the backyard, and the **pool** glittered with underwater lights. She spotted Jordan immediately—laughing with friends by the deep end, hair wet from swimming.

"Hey! You made it!" Jordan waved her over, and Maya's stomach did that weird flip-flop thing.

"Yeah, sorry I'm late," she managed, trying to sound casual. "Had to help my mom with... stuff." Smooth.

They spent the next hour talking about everything and nothing—Jordan's terrible taste in music, Maya's obsession with horror movies, how much they both hated chemistry. Maya was actually having fun. Too much fun. She got brave.

"So," she said, leaning against the patio table, "I was thinking maybe we could—"

"Maya!" Priya rushed over, eyes wide. She grabbed Maya's arm and practically dragged her toward the house. "You have **spinach** in your teeth. Like, A LOT of spinach."

"What? But I haven't even eaten—"

"From lunch! EIGHT HOURS AGO! You've been talking to Jordan with spinach in your teeth for an HOUR!"

Maya's face burned. She ran to the bathroom, flossing like her life depended on it. When she finally emerged, half the party seemed to be staring at her. Or maybe she was just paranoid.

"Hey," Jordan appeared beside her as she headed toward the gate. "Leaving already?"

"Yeah, I... um... just remembered I have to help my dad with something." Classic Maya. **Running** away again.

"Cool," Jordan said, and then, "Hey, Maya?"

"Yeah?"

"The spinach thing? Happened to me last week. With popcorn. At lunch. In front of EVERYONE." Jordan smiled. "Can I text you later?"

Maya walked home with the biggest smile on her face, her phone already buzzing in her pocket.

"Yeah," she whispered to the empty sidewalk. "Yeah, you can text me."