Green Teeth & Bucket Hats

Maya pulled her black bucket hat lower, checking her reflection in the pool house window. First party of sophomore year, and she was already regretting everything. The hat was her armor—Gen Z irony mixed with genuine panic.

"Yo, Maya! You actually came!" Jace waved from the deep end, water dripping from his perfect hair. Maya's stomach did that annoying flip thing. She'd had a crush on him since middle school, back when she still wore scrunchies unironically.

"Yeah," she managed, grabbing a paper plate. Spinach artichoke dip. Dangerous territory for someone with braces, but she was hungry and nervous, and honestly, what could go wrong?

Two dip triangles later, she felt marginally more human. She wandered toward the pool's edge, where everyone was laughing at something Tyler said. Maya laughed too, because that's what you do when you're trying to exist without drawing attention to yourself.

Then Jace swam over, resting his arms on the concrete. His eyes locked on hers.

"Maya, can I talk to you?"

Her heart launched into her throat. "Sure?"

" privately." He nodded toward the side yard.

The walk felt eternal. Her brain spiraled through five hundred scenarios. This was it. He liked her back. The universe was finally rewarding her for surviving eighth grade.

They stopped under the oak tree. Jace turned, and for a second he just looked at her. Then he reached out and gently tapped his front tooth.

"You've got—" He made a gesture. "Like, a lot of spinach."

The world didn't end, but Maya kind of wished it would.

"Oh my GOD," she whispered.

"It's actually kind of impressive," he said, and he was smiling but not in a mean way. "Like, how?"

Maya ripped off her hat and scrubbed at her teeth with her thumb. "I'm going to move to Antarctica."

"Nah, don't. Their wifi sucks." He paused. "Hey, Maya?"

"What?" She couldn't look at him. She was going to be known as Spinach Girl forever. This would be her legacy.

"I was gonna ask if you wanted to hang out sometime, but then I got distracted by how confident you looked in that hat." He gestured to her crushed hat in her hand. "Like, you were just owning it. That's cool."

Maya finally looked up. Jace was blushing. Actually blushing.

"You like the hat?"

"I like that you wear it." He shrugged. "Most people here are trying so hard. You're just... existing. With spinach. It's refreshing."

Maya laughed—a real laugh, for the first time all night. She put her hat back on, tugging the brim until it sat just right.

"So," she said. "About hanging out. Does this include more social situations where I can embarrass myself?"

"Honestly." Jace grinned. "I wouldn't have it any other way."