Waterproof Secrets

Maya crouched behind the pool shed, her sneakers sinking into the damp mulch. Heart hammering against her ribs, she watched as Jace and the new girl, Skylar, sat on the edge of the pool, their legs dangling in the water.

She felt like the worst kind of spy. This was her best friend—her person—and here he was, whispering secrets to someone he'd known for three days. The Friday night pool party had seemed like such a good idea when she'd planned it with Jace last week. Now every splash of water felt like proof that she was being replaced.

"...so yeah, my parents are splitting," she heard Skylar say, her voice barely carrying above the pool's filter hum. "That's why we moved here."

"Damn," Jace said. "My parents did that last year. It's gonna suck for a while, but... you find your groove."

Maya's chest tightened. He'd never told her about his parents' divorce. They'd been friends for seven years, and she'd had to hear it from some random girl at a pool party?

She turned to leave, her face burning, when someone tapped her shoulder.

"Spying on your own party? It was her idea to make sure you were okay," Jace's little brother said, appearing beside her with a knowing grin. "Also, you dropped your phone by the snacks table like an hour ago."

Maya froze. The new girl wasn't replacing her. Skylar had come looking for her.

Before she could process it, Skylar rounded the corner of the shed, drying her hair with a towel. "Hey! There you are. Jace said you went to get more sodas, but you've been gone forever." She gestured toward the pool. "Wanna come back? We were just talking about how his parents' divorce went down. He said you helped him through it, and I really needed someone who gets it."

The knot in Maya's chest loosened, replaced by something warmer. She wasn't being phased out—she was being recommended.

"Yeah," Maya said, a genuine smile spreading across her face. "Yeah, I'm coming."

As they walked back toward the twinkling lights and music, she realized sometimes the worst spy is your own insecurity. And sometimes, friends multiply instead of divide.