Operation Lunchroom Catastrophe

Maya's braces were practically magnetic to embarrassment, but nothing could have prepared her for today's disaster. She'd spent forty-five minutes curling her hair into perfect waves for Jake's party tonight—her first real high school social event since moving to Oak Ridge last month. Her mom had even let her get the caramel highlights she'd been begging for since seventh grade.

Now she stood in the cafeteria, frozen, staring at her reflection in her phone. There, nestled in her freshly styled hair like a neon green alien, was a chunk of spinach from her lunch salad.

"Dude, that's literally visible from space," said Priya, sliding onto the bench across from her. Priya had been Maya's first friend here—cool, confident, with silver-blue hair that somehow defied the school dress code.

Maya's face burned. "How long has it been there?"

"Since before you got your chocolate milk, so..." Priya checked her watch. "Approximately forever in teenage years."

Worse, Jake and his friends were sitting three tables away. Every time Maya glanced over, Jake would look away quickly.

"He's totally spying on you," Priya whispered. "That boy's been lowkey stalking your Instagram since you moved here."

"Spying?" Maya snorted. "More like documenting my humiliation for his TikTok."

But then Jake stood up and walked toward their table. Maya's stomach did that thing where it forgot how to be an organ. The spinach chunk had fallen from her hair onto her black sweater, making her look like she'd been attacked by a very small, very green monster.

"Hey," Jake said, scratching the back of his neck. "So, about tonight..."

"Yeah?" Maya tried to sound casual while simultaneously planning her spontaneous move to Antarctica.

"Would you want to, like, maybe get food before? Just us?"

Priya made a tiny squeaking sound that she tried to disguise as a cough.

"Like... a date?" Maya asked, her voice cracking.

Jake's ears turned pink. "Yeah, actually. Exactly like that."

The spinach on her sweater suddenly didn't matter. Neither did the fact that half the cafeteria was absolutely, positively spying on this moment. Maya smiled, braces and all.

"I'd love that."