Green in the Teeth

Maya dragged me toward the fortune teller's tent at the state fair, her excitement levels maxed out while my social battery was already at 1%.

"Come on, Jordan! It'll be fun!" She practically bounced. "My cousin had her palm read last year and she said it was totally accurate."

I reluctantly extended my shaking hand. The fortune teller traced its lines with weathered fingers, then suddenly stopped.

"You will face a great challenge today," she intoned, her eyes locking with mine. "A beast of great strength. But you will find courage you didn't know you had."

We exited the tent, and I immediately scoffed. "That was so vague. She could tell that to anyone."

"Whatever!" Maya laughed, steering me toward the food trucks. "Let's get lunch first. I'm starving."

Twenty minutes later, I was chowing down on a spinach and feta empanada, finally relaxing after the fortune teller's weird prediction. That's when I spotted Tyler—my crush since seventh grade—walking toward us.

"Hey Jordan, hey Maya!" Tyler smiled, and my palms instantly started sweating. "What're you guys doing?"

"Just hanging out!" I said, confident and charming—or so I thought, until Maya made a horrified face.

She pulled me aside. "Jordan, you have massive green spinach stuck in your teeth."

I wanted to die. Right there. Just evaporate into the air.

But before I could escape to the nearest bathroom, chaos erupted at the petting zoo nearby. A young bull had broken loose from its enclosure, people were screaming, and a little girl stood frozen in its path, crying.

The beast of great strength.

Without thinking, I shoved past Tyler, dodged the panicked crowd, and positioned myself between the bull and the girl. My heart pounded as I slowly approached the animal, making soft clicking sounds like I'd seen farmers do in movies.

"Hey buddy," I whispered, my hands still shaking from earlier. "It's okay."

To everyone's shock—including mine—the bull calmed down. Handlers rushed in to secure it, and the girl's parents hugged me, calling me a hero.

Tyler pushed through the crowd, wide-eyed. "That was amazing!"

I blushed, then remembered. "Before anything else..." I gestured to my teeth. " spinach situation?"

Tyler laughed. "I was trying to figure out how to tell you. But honestly? I think the brave look works for you."

Maya elbowed me, grinning. "Called it. The fortune teller knew everything."

Maybe some things are meant to be—spinach disasters and all.