The Summer I Found My Voice

My summer job at Miller's Farm was supposed to be easy — just feeding animals and avoiding the ornery bull they'd ironically named Buttercup. But that wasn't even the hardest part.

The hardest part was my iPhone blowing up every five minutes with texts from Jenna. my supposed best friend who'd been acting weird since school ended. "U coming to Sarah's party???" "Everyone's gonna be there..."

I sat on the fence, my backwards baseball cap shielding my eyes from the sun, and stared at my phone. Jenna knew parties weren't my thing. She knew I'd rather be here, in the peace and quiet of the farm, than awkwardly standing around while everyone pretended to have fun.

"Hey kid, watch out!" Mr. Miller yelled.

I looked up just as Buttercup decided today was the day he'd finally test the fence. I scrambled back, my phone flying out of my pocket and landing dangerously close to those massive horns.

"You okay?" A voice asked. It was Maya, the girl who worked in the farm stand. She wore a straw hat and carried a basket of tomatoes.

"Yeah, just embarrassed myself." I retrieved my phone. "And almost died."

"Buttercup's all bark, no bite," she grinned. "Unlike some people."

She meant Jenna. Everyone knew Jenna had been talking behind my back, spreading rumors that I thought I was too good for everyone now. The truth was, I just didn't want to fake it anymore.

"You need a vitamin D supplement or something," Maya said. "You're pale as a ghost."

"My mom makes me take these gummy ones every morning," I admitted. "They taste like fake strawberries."

"Gummy vitamins? Same." She held up her fist for a bump.

That afternoon, I finally texted Jenna back: "not coming. having fun here."

Then I turned off my phone, adjusted my cap, and helped Maya feed the chickens. Sometimes the real friends are the ones who don't make you prove anything at all.