What the Dog Knew

The first time I spied on Maya's phone, I told myself it was sisterly concern. The second time, I told myself I was protecting her. By the seventh time, I had to admit I was obsessed.

Maya was everything I wasn't—popular, confident, perfect. Her Instagram was a curated museum of her best life. But her DMs told a different story. Late at night, while our parents slept and Barnaby—our ancient, farting golden retriever—snoozed at the foot of my bed, I'd scroll through conversations that made my stomach twist.

She was talking to someone named "Shadow." Someone who made her feel small. Someone who made her question everything.

I started spying on her in real life too. Following her to the park, sitting two benches away while she met Shadow. I never saw his face—just a hooded figure, a whisper of movement. But I saw Maya's shoulders hunch. Saw her twist her hair around her fingers, nervous.

My hair was the same shade of auburn, but hers fell in perfect waves while mine rebelled in hopeless frizz. Another way she was better.

The night I finally confronted her, Barnaby licked my hand like he knew. Like all dogs know the important stuff.

"You need to block him," I said, bursting into her room. "Whoever Shadow is—he's toxic."

Maya looked up from her phone, mascara smudged under her eyes. "You've been spying on me?"

"I was trying to protect you!"

"You were being creepy, Lily."

Her words stung, but she kept going. "You think I don't know? You think I don't see you at the park? You think I don't notice when my phone's been moved?"

I felt my face burn. "Maya, I—"

"Shadow isn't a person," she said softly. "It's a private account. Where I post stuff I can't show anyone else. Poetry. Drawings. Thoughts I'm too scared to say out loud."

I stared at her. "But... the park meetings."

"I was sitting alone. Writing. Trying to figure out who I am when nobody's watching."

Something cracked inside me. "Oh."

"Yeah. Oh." She wiped her eyes. "You think I'm perfect, Lil. But I'm just scared and confused, same as you. I just hide it better."

Barnaby padded into the room and nosed Maya's hand. She buried her face in his fur, her perfect hair falling wild and undone. In that moment, she looked more like her real self than I'd ever seen her.

"I'm sorry," I said. "For everything."

She looked up, managed a weak smile. "Wanna see what I've been working on?"

I nodded. And for the first time, I wasn't spying. I was really seeing her.