Green Between My Teeth

The pool party was supposed to be my social resurrection. After spending freshman year as basically a ghost, I'd spent all summer leveling up — new haircut, actually learned to play padel with the cool kids, even been working out. Tonight was supposed to be the payoff.

I floated in the deep end, iPhone tucked safely in a Ziploc bag on the pool deck, watching everyone. They were all so effortless. Maya looked like a mermaid doing laps, while I was still mastering the art of not looking like a drowning seal when swimming.

"Hey!" Liam waved from the edge. "We're starting a volleyball game. You in?"

My stomach did backflips. This was it. The moment. But first — food. I'd arrived early and somehow missed the actual dinner part, and my growling stomach was killing my cool vibe.

I hauled myself out of the pool and made my way to the snack table, dripping pool water everywhere. There were chips, burgers, and a massive bowl of salad. Being the genius I am, I decided to "be healthy" and grabbed a handful of spinach leaves like they were potato chips. Just shoved them in my mouth, standing there in my swim trunks.

"What's up, New Guy!" It was Chloe, the actual Chloe, who I'd been crushing on since orientation. She smiled. "I love your swimsuit. Those colors are so you."

I tried to say something cool. Something like "thanks" or "you too" or literally any word that existed in the English language. But my mouth was full of spinach.

"Mmph mmmm," I said, confidently.

Chloe's eyes went wide. Not in a good way.

Her golden retriever, Buster, who'd been sleeping nearby, chose that exact moment to shake himself off right next to me, spraying water everywhere. I sputtered, spinach flying everywhere.

Chloe was laughing. Not mean laughing — like, actually cracking up. "Oh my god, are you okay?"

I finally swallowed. "I'm good. Just... spinach happens."

She kept laughing. "You know what? That was the most real thing that's happened all night. Everyone's trying so hard to be perfect, and you're just over here eating leaves like a giraffe."

"Lowkey I thought it would make me look athletic," I admitted.

"Well," she said, grabbing her own handful of spinach and popping it in her mouth, "mission accomplished." She grinned, and there was a tiny piece of green stuck in her teeth too.

We spent the rest of the party sitting by the pool, not playing padel or trying to impress anyone. Just talking. And when she Instagrammed a photo of us later — both with green teeth, Buster photobombing in the background — I realized something.

Maybe being cool wasn't about the transformation. Maybe it was about finding people who didn't care if you had spinach in your teeth.

My phone buzzed. A DM from Chloe: "Same time next week?"

I typed back: "Only if there's more spinach."