Green Between the Teeth

Maya's palms were sweating so bad she could practically fill a water bottle. She adjusted her cowboy hat for the fiftieth time, trying to look like she belonged at the county fair instead of like someone who'd never been within ten miles of a farm.

"You got this, May," said Jace, flashing that smile that made her stomach do backflips. "Just eight seconds on the mechanical bull. Easy."

Easy for him to say. Jace had grown up riding actual horses. Maya had grown up riding the subway.

The crowd around the bull ring was bigger than she'd expected. Some kids from school were there, including Chloe, whose Instagram stories made Maya feel like her life was basically a beige wall. Chloe was watching, probably waiting for Maya to face-plant in spectacular fashion.

"Next up!" the announcer shouted through crackly speakers. "Maya Rodriguez, going for the high score!"

Maya climbed onto the mechanical bull, her heart hammering against her ribs like it was trying to escape. The operator winked at her. "Ready, cowgirl?"

She nodded, not trusting her voice.

The bull jerked to life, and suddenly Maya was hanging on for dear life as the machine bucked and spun beneath her. She heard Jace cheering, heard the crowd laughing, but all she could focus on was not flying off and becoming a viral TikTok fail.

Seven seconds. Eight seconds. She'd done it!

Maya climbed down, legs shaking but upright. The small crowd applauded politely. Jace high-fived her, grinning.

"You crushed it! That was actually pretty sick."

Maya finally relaxed, letting herself feel good about it. She smiled at Jace, ready to say something cool and casual.

"Thanks! I was totally—" Then she saw it. The reflection in Jace's sunglasses.

A massive, vibrant piece of spinach stuck between her front teeth.

From the spinach smoothie she'd had for lunch. The one she'd deliberately chosen because it looked healthy and aesthetic.

"—terrified," she finished weakly.

Chloe was definitely filming this.

But Jace just kept smiling like nothing was wrong. Either he was being nice, or he genuinely didn't notice. Either way, Maya realized something as they walked toward the food trucks: sometimes the most embarrassing moments are the ones that don't actually matter as much as you think they do.

"Hey," Jace said, "there's a funnel cake stand. Want to split one? I'm buying."

Maya smiled, spinach and all. "Absolutely."

Maybe the fair wasn't so terrible after all.