Green Smoothie Sabotage

Maya's summer job at the community pool concession stand was supposed to be easy. Make smoothies, collect tips, maybe work on her tan during slow shifts. Instead, she'd spent three weeks feeling like the world's worst undercover **spy**, watching the popular crowd from behind the sneeze guard while they lived their best lives poolside.

The worst part was Liam. He worked at the front desk, and every time their shifts overlapped, Maya's stomach did that annoying flip-flop thing that definitely meant she was in love and definitely meant she was doomed. He'd wave. She'd panic. It was a whole thing.

Today, Maya's mom had packed her a "healthy lunch" which turned out to be a container of **spinach** that looked suspiciously like lawn clippings. "It's fuel, Maya!" her mom had said. Maya was pretty sure no amount of spinach would fuel her through this afternoon's disaster.

The lunch rush hit like a hurricane. Someone ordered the Mega Green Machine smoothie — basically a salad in a cup — and Maya's hand slipped. The entire cup launched itself across the counter, splattering green slime everywhere. Including all over her favorite white shirt.

"Dude, are you okay?" It was Liam. Standing there. Staring at her spinach-stained chest.

Maya wanted to dissolve. Actually, she wanted the pool to open up and swallow her whole. That was it. That was her new life goal.

But then Liam started laughing. Not mean laughing — the genuine kind, where his eyes crinkled and he had to lean against the counter.

"I did that last week," he said. "Except it was strawberry. Looked like I'd been murdered."

Maya blinked. "Seriously?"

"Cross my heart." He held up his right hand, **palm** out. "I still have a pink stain on my favorite sneakers."

They spent the rest of her break sitting on the edge of the pool deck, feet dangling in the water while she picked spinach out of her hair and he told her about every embarrassing thing that had happened to him since starting work. By the time the whistle blew for adult **swimming** hour, Maya's stomach had stopped doing flip-flops.

Okay, that was a lie. But these flip-flops felt different. Better. Less like impending doom, more like maybe something good was about to happen.

"Same time tomorrow?" Liam asked, standing up.

Maya grinned, green stains and all. "Definitely. But I'm making your smoothie."

"Deal. Just nothing with spinach, okay?"

She watched him walk away, already planning tomorrow's outfit. Something dark. Something that wouldn't show every disaster in high definition. Something brave.