Hat Check

Jordan pulled the beanie down lower, trying to disappear into the bleachers. At fifteen, being the new kid at Miller High felt like wearing a neon sign that said PLEASE DON'T NOTICE ME.

Across the gym, Taylor was laughing with her friends—Confident Taylor, who'd actually spoken to Jordan yesterday during robotics club. Jordan had spent three hours that night building a cardboard **pyramid** for the group project, hoping it would prove worthy.

"You gonna talk to her or just play the role of creepy stalker?" Maya whispered, flopping down beside Jordan. She'd appointed herself Jordan's social mentor since third period English.

"I'm not stalking," Jordan protested, though the argument lost power when Jordan quickly ducked behind Maya as Taylor glanced their way. "I'm gathering intel. Like a **spy**, but less creepy."

"Super creepy," Maya deadpanned. "Also, you have **spinach** in your teeth."

Jordan's face burned. Of course. The universal language of embarrassment: green particles lodged in dental braces. This was why the hat was necessary—it blocked at least 60% of judgment.

Taylor was walking over now. Jordan's heart performed an uncomfortable gymnastics routine. The cardboard pyramid at home suddenly seemed very far away and very stupid.

"Hey," Taylor said, sliding onto the bleacher below. "Is that our project prototype you hid under your bag?"

Jordan froze. She'd seen. The cardboard wasn't even painted yet. "It's... a work in progress."

Taylor's eyebrows shot up. "Dude, that's actually genius. The stability calculations you showed me yesterday—this structure could actually work." She pulled out her phone, started typing. "I found something. Old **cable** management system from the eighties. We could repurpose the tension principles."

Jordan stared. Taylor wasn't laughing. Taylor was nerding out about structural engineering.

"You think it's not terrible?" Jordan asked.

"It's not terrible," Taylor promised, then paused. "But you should probably check your teeth."

Maya wheezed with laughter beside them. Jordan found themself grinning despite the mortification. Maybe the hat could come off tomorrow. Maybe Miller High wouldn't be so bad after all.