Operation: First Kiss Cleanse

Maya's reflection in the bathroom mirror showed catastrophe: a chunk of **spinach** wedged firmly between her front braces, glowing fluorescent green like radioactive waste.

"You've got to be kidding me," she groaned, scrubbing frantically with her finger. This was it—the moment she'd been dreaming about since seventh grade. Tyler from AP Chem had finally noticed her instagram stories, and they were supposed to meet at the quad in exactly three minutes.

She adjusted her dad's vintage fedora **hat**, hoping it gave her mysterious indie-girl energy instead of what it actually was: her dad's hat from his thrift store phase. Maya felt like a total **spy** on a mission, creeping toward the quad, dodging former friends and gossip circles who'd totally roast her if this went sideways.

But fate had other plans. Mrs. Henderson's golden retriever—why was this dog even on campus?—came barreling out of nowhere, straight at Maya. In the chaos, she tripped, the hat flew off, and she faceplanted directly into Tyler's path.

"Whoa," Tyler said, extending a hand. "You okay?"

Maya's face burned hotter than a thousand suns. The spinach chunk was probably still there. Her hair was a disaster. The hat lay three feet away, exposed as the old-man accessory it was.

"Yeah," she mumbled. "Just... living my best disaster."

To her shock, Tyler laughed. Not mean-girl laughing, but actually laughed. "Dude, my dog loves you," he said, gesturing to the retriever, who was now enthusiastically licking Maya's face. "That's Barnaby. He escapes constantly."

"That's your **dog**?"

"Yeah. And you have..." He pointed to his own teeth.

Maya's soul left her body. She grabbed the hat, prepared to bolt, but Tyler's hand caught hers. "Actually, it's kind of adorable. And that hat? My grandpa had one just like it. Retro vibe."

Maya froze. He wasn't roasting her. He was... actually into it?

"Spinach and all?" she challenged, testing the waters.

"Spinach and all. Hey, you wanna share my smoothie? I think it's mostly kale anyway, so we'll match."

Maya grinned, something shifting in her chest. Maybe being a disaster wasn't the worst thing in the world. Sometimes, the most cringe moments became the best stories—especially when they led to a first date with the cute boy whose dog just tried to eat your face.