Operation: Goldfish

The cafeteria was basically a minefield, and Maya was stepping right into one. Her mission: spy on her crush, Jason, who sat three tables away. Casual. Chill. Not weird at all.

"You're staring again," whispered Lena, her best friend since kindergarten, sliding into the seat across from her. "Your palms are literally sweating. I can see it from here."

Maya wiped her palms on her jeans—black, of course, because stains showed less. "I'm not staring. I'm... observing. There's a difference."

"You're being a total creep," Lena said, popping a grape into her mouth. "Just talk to him already."

Right. Because talking to Jason was so easy. Maya's brain went blank every time he walked near her. She'd once accidentally told him his shoelaces were "doing great today." Whatever that meant.

Today was different, though. Maya had a plan. She'd gotten a job at Pet Palace, and they'd just gotten a shipment of those fancy goldfish—the ones with the flowy fins like tiny underwater princesses. Everyone at school wanted one. If Jason walked in, she could casually mention she worked there. Smooth. Natural. Not desperate.

But first, lunch. And first, the obstacle course of social navigation.

Maya's stomach growled. She'd packed a salad that morning, trying to be healthy, which meant it was approximately 90% spinach. She hated spinach. But she was trying this new thing where she didn't hate herself, so here she was, eating leaves that tasted like sadness.

"Did you hear about Alexa's party?" Lena asked, scrolling through her phone. "Everyone's going. You should come."

"Maybe," Maya said, stabbing at her spinach. "If I survive today."

She took a bite.

And immediately regretted everything.

Something felt wrong. Wrong in the way that only happens when your life is about to become a disaster. She touched her front tooth with her tongue.

A massive piece of spinach was wedged right there. Front and center. Probably visible from space.

"Oh my god," she whispered. "How long has that been there?"

Lena squinted. "Since before you started talking about Jason. So... about fifteen minutes?"

Fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes of staring at Jason with spinach in her teeth like some kind of vegetable-demon.

Wait.

Jason was standing up. Walking toward her. The goldfish situation could wait. This was happening NOW.

Her heart hammered against her ribs. Her palms were sweating again. She couldn't breathe.

"Hey," Jason said, stopping at their table.

Hey. Just hey. That was it.

"Hey," Maya managed, before remembering the spinach situation and pressing her lips together like her life depended on it.

"I heard you work at Pet Palace?" Jason rubbed the back of his neck, which was cute. Dangerously cute. "My sister's been wanting one of those goldfish. The fancy ones."

Maya's brain short-circuited. This was it. The moment. Her plan had worked! But she couldn't exactly respond without revealing the spinach catastrophe.

She nodded vigorously. Maybe too vigorously.

"Cool," Jason said. "Maybe I'll stop by sometime."

"Mm-hmm," Maya agreed, still refusing to open her mouth.

"Alright, see you." He walked away, and Maya finally exhaled.

Lena was dying. Literally dying of laughter. "Did you just have an entire conversation without opening your mouth? You looked like a hostage."

Maya pulled out her phone mirror. The spinach was gone. Had been gone the whole time.

"I hate everything," she said, burying her face in her hands.

"But he's coming to the store!" Lena pointed out. "That's a win!"

A win. Maybe. But Maya would be spending the rest of the day wondering if Jason was really interested in goldfish, or if he'd just witnessed the most awkward interaction of her life and decided to lean into the chaos.

Either way, tomorrow would be interesting.