The Pool Party Saboteur

Maya's heart raced like she'd been sprinting instead of just standing behind the storage shed, peering through the wooden slats at the most important social event of sophomore year. The Larson's pool party. Which she had not been invited to.

Technically, she wasn't a spy. She was just... gathering intelligence. From behind a strategically positioned hedge. Like a normal person.

Her crush, Jordan, was there, laughing with his friends near the diving board. Maya had been accidentally-on-purpose running past his house for weeks, but this was different. This was operation: stop being invisible.

"Hey!" a voice whispered behind her.

Maya jumped approximately three feet in the air. A girl with glasses and an oversized t-shirt that said POOL SNOB was crouching beside her.

"I'm Chloe," the girl whispered. "Also not invited. Want to form an alliance?"

"Why weren't you invited?" Maya asked, suspicious.

Chloe shrugged. "I told everyone they're literally swimming in chemicals. Did you know pool water can mess up your vitamin D absorption? Plus, I'm 'weird.'"

Maya snorted. "I'm 'quiet.' Which apparently means I don't exist."

"Well," Chloe said, pulling a container from her bag, "I have spinach artichoke dip. And tortilla chips. We could crash the party like bosses."

Maya hesitated. Then: "Let's do it."

They marched through the back gate like they owned the place. Jordan looked up, confused. Maya's face burned. But then she caught his eye, and instead of looking away, she smiled.

"Nice party," she said, setting the dip down. "Hope you're hungry."

Chloe was already explaining the dangers of chlorine to someone's mom. Maya realized something incredible: she didn't have to be cool to fit in. She just had to show up.

"So," Jordan said, walking over. "Who's your friend?"

"Chloe," Maya said, and for the first time ever, she didn't feel like running. "We're here to sabotage your party. With amazing dip."

Jordan laughed. "Mission accomplished."

Maybe, Maya thought, being seen wasn't about being invited. It was about walking through the gate anyway.