Green Between My Teeth

Maya's palms were sweating so much she might as well have been swimming through the humidity instead of just standing at the edge of the pool. The weekend bash at Tyler's house was exactly the kind of scene she usually avoided — too many people, too much noise, too many opportunities to say or do something completely uncool.

"Hey, Maya!" Jake from her AP Bio class called out, walking over with that easy confidence that made her stomach do these weird little flips. "Haven't seen you at one of these before."

"Yeah, I'm usually... busy," she managed, which was such bull. She was never busy on weekends. She was just awkward and preferred the safety of her room and the curated perfection of her social media feeds.

"Well, I'm glad you came," Jake said, and she almost believed he meant it. "My mom made these spinach wraps if you want one. They're actually pretty decent."

He handed her a paper plate, and because her nervousness made her basically incapable of normal human functioning, she took a massive bite before realizing too late that the spinach was everywhere — including, she would later learn with horror, prominently wedged between her front teeth.

She spent the next ten minutes smiling with her mouth mostly closed, laughing at jokes she barely heard, all while hyper-aware of the green situation. She was spiraling, convinced Jake was only being nice because he hadn't noticed yet, or worse — he HAD noticed and was being nice out of pity.

Then she tripped over the thick black cable snaking across the patio toward the DJ setup. Her plate flew. Jake caught her elbow before she could faceplant, which was heroic but also meant she was now standing there, spinach-toothed and clumsy, while he held her arm like she was some invalid who couldn't walk on flat ground.

"You got a little..." He gestured to his own teeth, and Maya wanted to dissolve into the pool tiles.

"Oh my GOD," she whispered, ready to teleport out of existence. Instead, Jake just handed her a napkin and grinned.

"Honestly? I've been walking around with my swimsuit on backward for like twenty minutes. Tyler finally told me."

Maya looked, and sure enough — the tag was flopping right there on his chest. She laughed so hard her stomach hurt, and for the first time all night, her palms finally stopped sweating.