Greens and Prophecy

Leo's palms were sweating. Again. He wiped them on his jeans, staring at the cafeteria table where Brandon—the guy who'd been his best friend since kindergarten—now sat with the varsity crew, laughing like Leo had never existed.

The social pyramid at Westwood High had clear tiers, and Leo had just been demoted.

"You okay?" Maya slid into the seat across from him, sliding her tray forward. "You look like you're about to puke."

"Brandon's over there," Leo mumbled, gesturing with his chin. "Again."

Maya followed his gaze, then rolled her eyes so hard it looked painful. "So? He's been acting different since basketball season started. That's, like, literally the oldest story in the book."

Leo poked at his lunch—sad cafeteria pizza with a side of spinach that looked like it had seen better days. "Easy for you to say. You're not the one getting replaced."

"Dude." Maya reached over and grabbed a forkful of his spinach. "He's not replacing you. He's just... expanding his social circle. It's freshman year, things change. People change."

"I hate that word." Leo dropped his voice to a whisper. "He ghosted my text yesterday. Saw him typing, then nothing."

"Wow, elementary school tea." Maya nodded sagely. "But seriously, you need to stop staring at him like a sad puppy. It's giving desperate energy."

Leo groaned. "I'm NOT desperate. I'm just... confused. We were supposed to work on our history project together, and now he's acting like I don't exist."

"Okay, new plan." Maya pointed her fork at him. "We're doing your project. Together. And then we're accidentally making it SO good that Brandon wishes he hadn't bailed."

Leo stared at her. "You'd do that?"

"Uh, yeah?" Maya smirked. "Unlike SOME people, I don't bail on my friends. Plus, I'm actually smart at history. You're welcome."

Leo's palms stopped sweating. For the first time all week, the invisible weight on his chest lifted.

"Thanks," he said quietly.

"Don't mention it." Maya winked. "But seriously, eat your spinach. It looks like it's about to stage a protest."