Green Smoothie Disaster at the Pool

Maya's phone buzzed with the invite: Pool party at Jake's. The Jake. Whose Instagram stories made everyone's life look basic. She'd been crushing on him since seventh period bio when he let her borrow a pen.

"You're going, right?" Chloe slid into the cafeteria seat, flipping her perfect waves. "Everyone's talking about it. His parents put in that new padel court."

Maya poked at her lunch. "I don't even know how to play padel. Is it like tennis?"

"It's like tennis but cooler. And easier." Chloe's eyes widened. "Plus, Tyler will be there."

Maya's stomach did that annoying flip thing. Tyler, who'd smiled at her in the hallway last Tuesday. Tyler, with the Jordan Clarkson eyes and the way he leaned against lockers like gravity was optional.

That's how Maya ended up in her bathroom at 1 PM, staring at herself in the mirror, psyching herself up. She'd made this "energy smoothie" recipe from TikTok — spinach, banana, almond milk, and some multivitamin powder she'd found in the pantry. Her mom was all into that wellness stuff.

"Liquid confidence," Maya whispered to her reflection, downing the murky green sludge. It tasted like lawn clippings mixed with chalk. But whatever. This was her glow-up era.

She arrived at Jake's house ten minutes late (classic power move, according to Chloe). The backyard was already buzzing — actual laughing, splashing, music. A legit summer movie scene. The new padel court looked pristine, blue surface matching the pool.

"Maya!" Chloe waved her over. "Tyler's looking over here. Act natural."

Naturally, Maya tripped over her own feet and nearly face-planted. Tyler laughed, but like, in a cute way? He jogged over, shirtless (HERO managed NOT to stare, barely), water droplets still on his shoulders.

"Hey," he said. "You play padel?"

"Oh, totally," Maya lied. "I'm basically a pro. In my head."

He grinned. "Same. Wanna be terrible together?"

They ended up playing the most chaotic game ever — racquets missing balls, both of them cracking up, Tyler's serves somehow going backwards. Maya forgot to be nervous. Forgot about the spinach smoothie situation. Until she bent down to retrieve a ball and caught her reflection in the sliding glass door.

A massive, neon-green chunk of spinach was wedged between her front teeth. The vitamin powder had stained it that radioactive color. It had been there THE ENTIRE TIME. While she was flirting with Tyler. While he was smiling at her. While she was living her best life.

She froze. This wasn't a coming-of-age movie moment. This was a horror movie.

"You got something—" Tyler reached toward her face.

Maya's soul left her body. But then he just wiped a smudge of court grit from her cheek and kept talking like nothing happened. Like he hadn't just spent forty minutes talking to someone with a green situation going on.

"Your form's actually getting good," he said. "We should play again. Like, actually practice."

The spinach was still there. He definitely saw it. And he didn't even care.

"Yeah," Maya said, smiling green-smile and all. "I'd like that."