The Riddle of Friday Night

Maya's stomach did that stupid fluttery thing as she stood outside Jordan's house. First party of sophomore year. She'd spent forty-five minutes on her hair, only to jam an old beanie on at the last second because she couldn't deal with looking like she was trying too hard. The hat was her armor.

"You got this," she muttered, then walked in like she belonged.

The basement was already packed. Someone had a goldfish bowl on the counter—why, no one knew—and people were gathered around it like it contained ancient wisdom. The fish swam in frantic circles, looking as out of place as Maya felt.

"Hey! Maya!" It was Riley, texting while talking. Classic. "You gotta see Jordan's backyard. His dad has this ridiculous fountain statue thing."

"A fountain?"

"It's supposed to be a sphinx or whatever, but it looks like a cat having an allergic reaction."

Maya snorted. "Lead the way."

The sphinx statue was indeed tragic. They stood there making fun of it for ten minutes, and for the first time all night, Maya actually relaxed. Riley was surprisingly cool when she wasn't glued to her phone.

"Okay but real talk," Riley said, leaning against the hideous statue. "You and Tyler? What's the vibe?"

"There's no vibe. He barely knows I exist."

"He knows you exist. He asked about you yesterday in chem."

Maya's heart did this ridiculously hopeful little jump. "He asked what?"

"If you were gonna be here tonight." Riley raised an eyebrow. "So I'm asking: what's the move?"

"I don't have a move! I don't know how to do this!" Maya gestured helplessly. "I feel like a bear trying to knit. Just—clumsy and wrong and everyone's watching."

"Okay, first off, bears are adorable. Second, you're overthinking it. Just talk to him. He's just a guy. He puts his pants on one leg at a time like everyone else."

"What does that even mean?"

"I don't know, my mom says it. The point is, you're making yourself crazy over nothing."

Maya took a breath. "Okay. You're right. I can do this."

"That's the spirit! Now come back inside, I'm starving and they have those little spinach puff things."

"Spinach puffs? At a high school party?"

"Jordan's weird about nutrition, okay? Don't judge."

They headed back inside, and Maya spotted Tyler across the room. He looked nervous, holding a soda like his life depended on it. When their eyes met, he gave this tiny awkward wave.

Maya smiled. Maybe she didn't need to be someone else to fit in. Maybe she just needed to be brave enough to be herself.

She took a step forward.