Backwash Betrayal

The chlorine stung my eyes, but not as much as Maya's text had ten minutes ago.

'U going to Lexi's padel party?'

I stared at my iPhone, screen cracked in three places from when I'd dropped it at orientation. The new girl, Lexi, was hosting a padel tournament at her family's country club. Padel—because apparently tennis wasn't exclusive enough anymore. I'd been vibing with Maya since first period science, but she hadn't mentioned the party until now. Had she forgotten? Or worse—had she not wanted me there?

I texted back: 'Yesss! So pumped!'

Added three exclamation points because I was definitely not pumped.

My mom appeared in my doorway, holding the dreaded green smoothie. "Honey, you need something healthy before you go. This has spinach, kale, ginger—"

"I'm good, Mom," I said, already feeling queasy about the party. "Grabbed food earlier."

She set it on my desk anyway. "Just in case. Spinach gives you energy!"

The smoothie sat there like a radioactive swamp creature. I chugged half of it in one desperate attempt to appear enthusiastic when I arrived.

Big mistake.

At Lexi's house, everything was already in full swing. The padel courts were gorgeous, blue surfaces under string lights, and everyone looked like they'd stepped out of a TikTok tutorial. Maya waved me over, looking effortless in a matching set that probably cost more than my entire wardrobe.

"You made it!" she squealed, hugging me. "Lexi, this is Jordan!"

Lexi turned, smiling, and then her eyes dropped to my mouth.

"Jordan, you have... something..." She gestured at her own teeth, grimacing slightly.

I sprinted to the bathroom and froze. My entire smile was stained bright green. CHUNKY green. I'd drunk the smoothie too fast, and now I looked like I'd been eating algae straight from a pond.

This was it. This was how I became the girl with the green teeth forever. I reached for the water faucet, splashing desperately at my reflection, but the spinach had embedded itself in my braces like decorative moss.

A girl knocked on the door. "Hey, you okay in there?"

"Fine!" I called back, voice cracking. "Just... fixing my... water situation."

When I finally emerged, ten minutes later, teeth scrubbed raw and confidence shredded, everyone was already choosing teams for padel. Maya waved from across the court, grinning, and Lexi mouthed 'you okay?' with actual concern in her eyes.

And somehow, by the end of the night, after I'd stumbled through approximately zero successful volleys and laughed at myself so hard I forgot to be embarrassed, Lexi had added me on Instagram, Maya had promised to properly invite me next time, and I'd earned the nickname 'Green Machine.'

I checked my phone before bed. A new group chat: 'Padel Squad 💪'

Maya: 'sry about not inviting u earlier i literally just found out yesterday lol'

Lexi: 'any friend of Maya's is friend of ours 🥰'

I fell asleep smiling, my teeth finally spinach-free, already looking forward to tomorrow's humiliation. After all, nothing bonds teenagers like surviving something cringe together.