The Spy in the Snapback

Marcus's phone buzzed with another screenshot. Someone was documenting his every awkward moment—the tripping in gym, the spilled milk at lunch, the time he'd waved back at someone who wasn't waving at him.

"Who's this?" he typed, hands shaking.

"Your biggest fan," came the reply.

Marcus hated freshman year. He'd started wearing his brother's old snapback everywhere, pulling it low like a security blanket. If he couldn't see anyone, they couldn't see him either. Right?

But someone was definitely seeing him.

The messages kept coming for weeks. Gradually, though, the screenshots changed. Instead of fails, they were victories—finally making a three-pointer in basketball, the day he'd actually laughed at something, the moment he'd talked to Sofia without his voice cracking.

"You're getting cooler," the mysterious sender wrote.

Marcus found himself typing back. "Who are you?"

"Someone who sees you."

His heart did something stupid in his chest. Was this a prank? The thought made his stomach hurt, but not as much as the possibility that it wasn't.

The hat became his anchor. Every screenshot featured it, like a signature.

Then came the message: "Meet me after school. Behind the gym. I'll be wearing something you recognize."

Marcus's palms were sweating. What if this was a setup? What if—

But he went.

Leaning against the brick wall was Jen, the quiet girl from his English class. She was wearing his brother's OTHER snapback—the one he'd lost months ago.

"You?" Marcus squeaked. Great. Smooth.

Jen shrugged, looking at the ground. "I started taking photos for the yearbook. I noticed you, I guess. You seemed... interesting."

"Interesting?"

"Like a bear coming out of hibernation," she said, then immediately looked horrified. "That sounded so weird, I'm sorry."

Marcus laughed before he could stop himself. "That's the worst thing anyone's ever said to me."

"I can delete everything," Jen offered, reaching for her phone. "This was creepy. I know it was creepy."

Marcus stepped closer. "Don't."

She looked up, and for the first time, he really saw her. The worried line between her eyebrows. The way her hands kept fidgeting with her hat brim. The fear that maybe she'd messed up the one thing she'd been trying to get right.

"You're my friend now," Marcus said. "Friends don't bail."

Jen's shoulders dropped. "Really?"

"Really. But you have to tell me something."

"What?"

"Which one of us is the bigger disaster?"

Jen grinned. "Tie game."

Marcus adjusted his hat, suddenly grateful someone had been watching all along.