Zoned at the Beach Bonfire

Maya pressed her clammy palms against her cutoff shorts, heart doing gymnastics. The bonfire crackled behind her, casting long shadows across the beach. Freshman year, first bonfire, first time seeing *him*—Caleb, the sophomore who sat behind her in bio and somehow made mitosis look interesting.

"You look like a zombie," said her best friend Kiara, nudging her. "Earth to Maya? You've been staring at the fire for ten minutes straight."

"I'm not zombie-ing," Maya protested, though she felt pretty undead. "I'm just... thinking."

"About Caleb?" Kiara wiggled her eyebrows. "Just talk to him, girl. You're literally palm-sweating. I can see it from here."

Maya wiped her hands on her shorts again. She'd been crushing on Caleb for months, ever since he'd let her copy his notes when she was out sick. His handwriting was this perfect careful print, like each letter mattered.

Suddenly, a scream pierced the music. People started laughing, pointing. A gray tabby cat had somehow wandered onto the beach, looking completely unimpressed with thirty teenagers trying to look cool. The cat sat down in front of the cooler, tail curled around its paws, and stared.

"That cat just walked up like it pays rent here," someone yelled.

Caleb was laughing the hardest. He knelt down, offering his hand. The cat immediately head-butted his palm, demanding pets. Maya watched his fingers sink into soft gray fur, the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled.

"Come here," Kiara said, practically dragging Maya across the sand. "This is your in."

"My what?"

"Your excuse to talk to him! Pet the cat, Maya. Live a little."

Before she could overthink it, Maya found herself crouching beside Caleb in the sand. The cat turned its golden gaze to her, then scooted closer. She petted its soft head, trying to act normal while her heart hammered.

"This cat is literally living its best life," Caleb said, grinning at her. "Free food, unlimited pets. What a gig."

Maya actually laughed. "Big mood."

"I'm Caleb, by the way."

"Maya. I know," she said, then immediately regretted it. "I mean, we have bio together."

"Yeah, I know." His smile got bigger. "I was wondering when you'd talk to me."

The cat purred loudly, demanding more attention from both of them. The bonfire crackled. Someone put on a song everyone knew. And Maya thought maybe freshman year wouldn't be so bad after all.