When the Hat Came Off

Leo stood by the snack table at Maya's pool party, clutching his papaya like it was some kind of social currency. He'd spent forty-five minutes at Whole Foods trying to find something that screamed "sophisticated guy who eats exotic fruits," not "desperate freshman trying to impress his crush."

"Is that... papaya?" Maya appeared beside him, droplets of pool water clinging to her shoulders. Her hair was wet and perfect, of course.

"Yeah," Leo said, sliding his snapback lower. "I'm really into, like, clean eating. Got me these vitamins too." He gestured vaguely at the bottle in his pocket, as if she could see through his swim trunks to the supplements his mom had bought for his skin.

Maya laughed, but not in a mean way. "That's actually kind of adorable. My mom's always trying to get me to eat healthy stuff."

From across the pool, someone shouted "CANNONBALL!" A wall of water erupted, drenching Leo completely. His hat—his beloved, carefully positioned hat—flew off and landed three feet away, exposing the cowlick he'd been hiding all semester.

He scrambled for it, but Maya was faster. She snatched the hat and put it on her own head, grinning.

"You know," she said, "I have this huge insecurity about my forehead. That's why I won't wear hats."

Leo blinked. Water dripped from his eyelashes. "Seriously? Your forehead is... fine. Like, actually fine."

"So is your hair, Leo. You're the only one who cares about that cowlick."

They stood there, both dripping wet, surrounded by teenagers who were too busy playing volleyball to notice. Leo realized his papaya had rolled under the table. He thought about retrieving it, then decided to let it stay hidden.

"Want to split a vitamin?" he offered instead.

Maya grinned. "Only if you promise to never wear this hat again."

"Deal."

Later, they'd discover that papaya tastes like disappointment. But right then, pool water dripping from both of them, it felt like the start of something real.