Green Between My Teeth

The smoothie was supposed to be my secret weapon. Kale, spinach, vitamin powder, and water — basically liquid confidence. I'd been crushing on Maya since September, and when she invited me to play padel with her friend group on Saturday, I knew I had to level up. Fast.

Standing outside the rec center, my stomach did backflips. I'd watched YouTube tutorials until 2 AM. Padel was like tennis but cooler, more social, and apparently the way to Maya's heart.

"Yo, Marcus!" Maya waved, holding a racket. "You ready to get destroyed?"

"Born ready," I lied, flashing what I hoped was a confident grin.

Then Alex showed up. Of course. The guy whose Instagram was just candid photos of him being effortlessly athletic. He was wearing cable-knit sweater vibes even in athletic gear, and suddenly my $30 Walmart racket felt like a toy.

"Nice stick," Alex said, with that tone that could go either way.

We started playing. And you know what? I wasn't terrible. Maya laughed at my terrible serves — in a good way, I think. I even managed to score a point off Alex, which felt like winning the lottery.

After the game, everyone headed to Smoothie King. That's when it happened.

Maya was walking beside me, actually talking to me about music and why her dog hates thunder. I was living my best life. Then she stopped mid-sentence.

"What?" I asked.

She didn't answer. Just pointed at her own teeth.

I pulled out my phone camera.

There. Embedded in my front teeth like a neon sign screaming I AM NOT CHILL: a massive, vibrant chunk of spinach. I'd been smiling like that for TWO HOURS.

"Oh my god," Maya laughed. Not the cruel laugh, but the real one. "I was wondering why you looked so intense."

"I thought I looked mysterious," I groaned.

"You looked like you'd been eating grass," she said. "But honestly? It's kind of refreshing. Everyone else tries so hard to be cool. You're just... out here being yourself with spinach in your teeth."

"Is that good?"

"It's definitely something," she grinned. "Same time next week?"

"Only if you promise to tell me if I have food in my teeth."

"Deal."

Maybe the smoothie wasn't a total disaster after all.