Orange Cable

The spinach stuck between my teeth felt like a neon sign flashing LOOK AT ME. I'd been crushing on Jordan for three months, and naturally, tonight—when she finally noticed me at Taylor's party—I had to go and eat the spinach artichoke dip.

"You got a little something," Jordan said, gesturing to her own smile, her orange tank top glowing under the blacklight.

I nearly died right there. But then she laughed—not mean, actually cute—and I remembered how she'd sat behind me in English since September, how I'd become a total spy on her Instagram stories, watching without ever liking because that's what weirdos do. That's what I told myself anyway.

"Thanks," I mumbled, ducking into the kitchen to grab a napkin. That's when I heard Tyler and his crew talking about me near the island.

"That's bull," Tyler was saying. "Marcus thinks he's got a shot with Jordan? Please."

My face burned. Classic. The one time I put myself out there, and everyone's watching from the sidelines like it's a spectator sport.

But then Jordan was in the kitchen doorway, holding her phone with that signature orange charging cable dangling from it like a lifeline.

"Hey," she said, ignoring Tyler completely. "My phone's about to die, and someone stole my charging spot. You have a charger?"

I pulled mine from my pocket—white, not orange, definitely not as cool. She didn't care.

We ended up on the back porch, phones plugged into the outdoor outlet, watching our batteries creep up percentage by percentage. She told me about her anxiety disorder, how orange was her comfort color because it felt like warmth. I told her about being the quiet kid who never talked to anyone until

now.

"You're not quiet," she said, bumping her shoulder against mine. "You're just listening."

The spinach incident became our inside joke. The orange cable became our reason to sit together every day at lunch. And Tyler talking bull in the kitchen? That became the first night I stopped caring what people thought.

Sometimes the worst moments end up being the best ones. But you have to survive them first.