Operation Green Smile

Alex Chen, self-appointed social **spy** of Northwood High, crouched behind the cafeteria's potted ficus, phone clutched like a weapon. His mission: gather intel on whether Sarah, the girl who'd sat three rows away in bio since September, would actually show up to Jordan's party tonight.

"You look like a total **zombie**," Maya whispered, sliding onto the bench beside him. "Finals week got you living on Rockstar and three hours of sleep again?"

"Shh," Alex hissed, adjusting his glasses. "I'm in deep cover here."

Maya rolled her eyes so hard he worried they might get stuck. "Bro, you're not James Bond. You're just creepily watching Sarah from behind a plant. Again."

Alex's face burned. Whatever. His covert operations had yielded solid intel before. Like last month, when he'd discovered Tyler was cheating on his girlfriend with half the volleyball team. That information had earned him major social capital.

His stomach chose that moment to unleash a symphony of growls loud enough to announce his presence to half the cafeteria.

"You gonna eat?" Maya asked. "They're serving those weird **spinach** wraps again. The ones that look like someone poured radioactive sludge into a tortilla."

Alex hesitated. His mom had packed his lunch, but in his rush to arrive early for stakeout duties, he'd left it on the kitchen counter. "Fine. But if I die, delete my browser history."

He returned with the offending green wrap, sat down, and took a massive bite to prove a point. Maya's eyes widened.

"What?"

"Dude..."

"WHAT?"

She burst out laughing. "You have **spinach** stuck in your braces. Like, a LOT. You look like you tried to eat a whole plant."

Alex's soul left his body. He was fifteen, braces stillMetallic mouth housing green debris, standing six feet away from Sarah, who'd just turned toward him.

"Hey Alex!" she called. "You coming to Jordan's tonight?"

His brain short-circuited. He mumbled something that might have been "yeah" or possibly "help me."

Sarah laughed. "Cool. Oh, you have a little..." She gestured to her own teeth.

HE KNOWS. THE WHOLE SCHOOL KNOWS. THIS IS IT. THIS IS HOW IT ENDS.

But she didn't make fun of him. Instead, she handed him a mirror from her backpack. "Happens to the best of us. Last week, I had popcorn stuck in my front tooth through all of third period."

Alex stared at her. Sarah Mitchell, who'd seemed flawless and unapproachable for months, had experienced the same cringeworthy moment?

"Thanks," he managed, and something shifted. Maybe he didn't need to be a spy anymore. Maybe he could just... exist.

"Oh!" she continued. "Are you still doing that thing where you **bear** the weight of everyone's drama? Jordan told me you're like, the go-to guy for relationship advice."

Alex choked. "WHO told you that?"

"You should come tonight though," she said. "We're gonna watch that new show about the rogue CIA agent. It's supposed to be **spy** thriller comedy." She paused. "Unless you have to help your brother set up his new gaming PC again? Jordan said something about you being his personal **cable** management expert."

Alex felt his face heat up again. "He can't tell the difference between HDMI and Ethernet. Someone has to save him from himself."

"That's honestly sweet." Sarah smiled, and Alex's chest did something embarrassingly fluttery. "But save me a dance tonight? Even if you have to leave early to rescue your brother from his own cables?"

"Yeah," Alex said, and meant it. "Yeah, I'll be there."

As he walked back to Maya, spinach-free and heart racing, his phone buzzed. A text from Jordan: 👩🏻‍🦷 **SPY** SAYS SHE'S INTERESTED. U WELCOME. OWE U ONE.

Alex pocketed his phone, grinning. Some missions turned out better than expected.

Even if they started with a vegetable emergency.