Green Smoothie Disaster
Maya's phone buzzed on the bathroom counter. Group chat blowing up again.
"u coming to jake's party tho??" - Lexi
Maya stared at her reflection. The cross-country meet was tomorrow. State qualifiers. Coach Martinez had been "running" them into the ground all week, and her legs felt like jelly. Plus her mom was on a health kick, meaning the fridge was stocked with literal pounds of "spinach" for smoothies that tasted like lawn clippings.
"idk," Maya typed back. "kinda dead tbh"
"The" "bear" emoji appeared next - their school mascot. Someone had tagged her in a story: "good luck tomorrow states!!!"
It was Tyler. The same Tyler who sat behind her in pre-calc, who she'd caught looking at her like three times this week, who was definitely going to Jake's party.
Maya's stomach did that thing where it forgot how to digestion.
Her mom knocked on the door. "Maya, honey, did you drink your smoothie? The spinach'll help with recovery!"
"Yeah mom, thanks!" Maya lied, eyeing the green sludge on her desk like it was radioactive waste.
The truth was, she'd barely been eating all week. Every time she looked in the mirror, she saw everything that needed fixing. Her hair wouldn't cooperate. Her smile was weird. Why would Tyler notice someone who couldn't even keep it together for a 5K?
But then she remembered what Coach said after practice yesterday: "You don't run against other people. You run against who you were yesterday."
Maya grabbed the smoothie. Chugged it. Grass taste and all.
Then she picked up her phone.
"yeah im coming," she texted Lexi. "bet"
Maybe she'd talk to Tyler. Maybe she wouldn't. Maybe the cross-country team would crush it tomorrow. Maybe they wouldn't.
But for the first time in forever, Maya realized she didn't have to be perfect to be worth noticing. She just had to show up.
She grabbed her backpack and headed out, phone vibrating in her pocket. A new notification from Tyler.
"save me a dance??"
Maya smiled. Some things were worth "running" toward, even when you were terrified.