The Pool Party Prophecy

Maya's hair floated around her like a halo in the chlorinated water as she clung to the pool's edge, watching the popular kids dominate the deep end. This was exactly why she'd almost bailed on Jordan's end-of-summer bash.

"Yo, Maya! Stop hiding!" Jordan's voice cut through the splashing. Her oldest friend paddled over, grinning. "There's someone I want you to meet."

Before Maya could protest, Jordan was dragging her toward a guy standing by the patio doors. He had kind eyes and an air of quiet confidence that made Maya's stomach do that annoying fluttery thing.

"This is Leo," Jordan announced. "Leo, Maya. She's the one who told me about that sphinx riddle in English that stumped everyone."

Leo's face lit up. "No way. You solved Mr. Harrison's bonus question? That thing was impossible."

Maya felt herself actually smiling. "My mom's an archaeologist. I grew up on mythology."

"Cool." Leo gestured toward the food table. "Want to grab something? I'm starving."

But as Maya reached for a slider, she caught her reflection in the sliding glass door and froze. A massive, dark piece of spinach was wedged between her front teeth, visible from space.

How long had it been there? Since before she got in the pool? Probably. The universe had a personal vendetta against her social life.

Leo noticed her sudden stillness. "Everything okay?"

"I—uh—just remembered something," Maya blurted, practically sprinting toward the bathroom.

Inside, she frantically picked her teeth clean and splashed cold water on her face, staring at her reflection. Why did she have to be like this? Why couldn't she just be normal for once?

When she finally emerged, Leo was waiting by the bathroom door, phone in hand. He didn't look weirded out. He looked... amused?

"So," he said, "my cousin won a goldfish at the carnival last week and it died in two days. Tragic, obviously. But anyway, I was thinking maybe we could—"

"Wait." Maya blinked. "You waited here? Even after I ran away like a weirdo?"

Leo shrugged. "Jordan says you're awesome. Plus, you know mythology. That's kind of metal."

Maya felt something in her chest loosen. Maybe she didn't have to be smooth. Maybe she could just be Maya — spinach incidents and all.

"Mythology is definitely metal," she said. "And your goldfish story? Needs work."