Operation Spinach Smile

The worst thing about braces wasn't the pain or the endless orthodontist appointments. It was the spinach. Specifically, the spinach stuck in your teeth when you were talking to Tyler, who happened to be the best **padel** player in school and currently leaning against your locker.

"So, Friday's match," Tyler said, his eyes doing that annoying thing where they actually focused on you. "You coming?"

You opened your mouth to say something cool, something normal like "yeah, maybe" or "I'll try." What came out was more of a strangled sound, because you'd just realized — oh god, oh NO — there was absolutely, definitely spinach in your braces.

The irony wasn't lost on you. Your mom was literally a **vitamin** salesperson who preached about "eating your greens" and "strong teeth" and now here you were, betrayed by the very vegetables that were supposed to make you healthy.

"I'll think about it," you managed, barely moving your lips. Like a **spy** in a terrible movie, you turned your head strategically, using your hair as a shield.

Later that day, your older brother caught you in the bathroom, aggressively brushing your teeth like they'd personally offended you. "You know," he said, leaning in the doorway with that annoying **bull**-shitting smirk he'd mastered, "you could just, I don't know, NOT eat spinach before talking to your crush?"

"He's not my crush," you lied. "And it was in the cafeteria salad. I didn't exactly have a menu of options."

"Right." He snorted. "Just like how you 'accidentally' show up at every single one of his padel practices?"

The worst part was that he wasn't wrong. You'd been showing up at those courts for weeks, watching from behind the fence like some weird tennis-obsessed stalker while he played, all graceful movements and easy laughter that made your stomach do actual gymnastics.

But Friday, you decided. Friday would be different. You'd bring a mirror. You'd check your teeth every five minutes. You'd actually talk to him without looking like you'd just eaten a salad through a straw.

And when he finally noticed you sitting in the bleachers and waved — actually waved, like he'd been waiting for you to show up — you smiled back, careful and confident, not even caring that your orthodontist was probably going to lecture you about "proper brushing technique" at your next appointment.

Sometimes, you thought, spinach was worth it.