Fox Hair and Papaya Zombies

Maya's first house party wasn't exactly the cinematic moment she'd imagined. Three hours in, she'd managed to spill fruit punch on her favorite jeans, accidentally join a conversation about the ethics of capitalism while trying to find the bathroom, and now she was hovering near the snack table like a zombie who'd forgotten how to human.

Then she saw him. Lucas. The guy with that messy copper hair that made him look like he'd just rolled out of bed and somehow still looked effortless. He was reaching for the fruit platter.

"Hey," he said, grabbing something bright orange. "Want to try this? It's papaya."

Maya's brain short-circuited. Papaya. She'd never had it before, but saying that felt like admitting she was uncool. "Sure," she heard herself say, like a person who made decisions.

Lucas laughed. It was a genuine laugh, crinkling at the corners of his eyes. "I'm actually obsessed with it. My grandma has a tree in her backyard."

He didn't mention that she was standing there like a zombie. He didn't point out that her hair had frizzed into something resembling a startled fox in the humidity. He just talked about papayas like they were the most interesting thing in the world.

"My friend says it tastes like feet," Maya admitted, then immediately regretted it. Why did she always say weird things?

Lucas's eyes lit up. "Okay, first of all, rude. Second, your friend has clearly never had fresh papaya. This stuff? Life-changing."

She tried it. It was sweet and musky and nothing like feet.

"So..." Lucas leaned against the counter. "You come here often?" Then he groaned. "I can't believe I just said that. That's the worst line ever."

Maya found herself laughing. Really laughing. Not the polite laugh she used when teachers made terrible jokes, but the kind that made her shoulders drop three inches.

"Maybe," she said, feeling something shift in her chest, something warm and papaya-sweet. "But the papaya's pretty good."

His copper hair caught the light as he smiled. "Yeah. It really is."