The Social Media Spy

Maya clutched her iphone like a lifeline during third period, thumb hovering over Jake's Instagram profile again. They'd been dating for exactly two weeks, and she still couldn't believe someone on the varsity baseball team would actually notice her.

"You're totally stalking him," her best friend Chloe whispered, sliding into the seat beside her. "Admit it - you're his social media spy."

"Am not!" Maya protested, though her face flushed. "I'm just... being supportive."

"Supportive would be liking his posts, not memorizing his workout routine." Chloe laughed. "Speaking of, big game today. You going?"

Maya nodded reluctantly. Jake had been dropping hints all week about how much it meant when his girlfriend watched him play. The problem? Maya knew absolutely nothing about baseball. She'd spent the past three nights watching tutorials on her phone, trying to understand the difference between a slider and a curveball, but mostly she'd just ended up more confused.

The afternoon sun beat down on the bleachers as Maya fidgeted with her iphone, opening and closing apps nervously. Jake spotted her from the dugout and waved, looking ridiculous in his cleats and uniform but somehow making it work. Her stomach did that weird fluttery thing that happened every time he smiled at her.

Then she saw it - another girl in the stands wearing Jake's varsity jacket. The same jacket that had been draped over Maya's shoulders just yesterday when the AC broke in the cafeteria. This girl was laughing with Jake's friends, looking completely at home, like she belonged here in a way Maya never would.

Without thinking, Maya opened her iphone's camera and zoomed in. Just one photo to show Chloe. Proof that maybe she wasn't the only one watching Jake. But as the image focused, she noticed something else - the girl was wearing a friendship bracelet on her wrist. The exact same friendship bracelet Jake had mentioned his sister making for his "best friend who's basically family."

Her hands trembled as she clicked the photo. The spy game wasn't so fun when you were the one being played.

"Hey!" Jake jogged over after the game, sweat glistening on his forehead. "You came! Did you see that catch?"

Maya stood up, sliding her phone into her pocket. "Yeah. I saw everything." She forced a smile, already planning her escape route. "You were great."

"Thanks!" He beamed, totally oblivious. "Hey, my cousin Sarah came to watch too - you should meet her! She's basically my sister, we grew up together."

Maya's heart sank. Cousin. Sarah. The jacket-wearing girl wasn't another girlfriend - she was family. All that spying, all those assumptions, and she'd almost ruined everything over nothing.

"Actually," Maya said, pulling out her phone and opening Instagram, "I think I'd love to meet her. But first, you're teaching me how this baseball thing actually works."

Jake laughed. "Deal. But first - what's with the jacket face?"

"Nothing," Maya said, clicking follow on Sarah's profile. "Just thinking about how weird it is that I'm dating a baseball player and still don't understand the game."

"Weird?" Jake grinned. "Nah. Just one more thing to teach you."