Papaya Incident

The fluorescent **orange** lights of the gymnasium buzzed overhead as I stood clutching my red Solo cup like it was a lifeline. Welcome to sophomore year, where the only thing more terrifying than upperclassmen was trying to look like you belonged.

"Dude, you gonna drink that or marry it?" Marcus laughed, sidling up beside me with that easy confidence I'd been trying to fake since middle school. His golden retriever, Buster—he'd somehow convinced the administration to make the school "therapy **dog**"—waited obediently by the refreshments table.

"Shut up," I muttered, taking a sip of whatever punch was in there. "I'm pacing myself."

"Pacing yourself for what? The pap-eating contest?" He pointed to the far corner where Señora Rodriguez was enthusiastically chopping up something I'd never seen before. "My abuela swears by that stuff. Says it'll change your life."

"Your grandma says a lot of things, bro."

"Just try it, Martinez. Be bold for once." Marcus clapped my shoulder, hard. "Unless you're **bear**ing some secret fear of exotic fruit?"

I rolled my eyes but followed him anyway because that's what you did when Marcus Sanchez dared you. The whole table was piled high with bright orange-yellow chunks that looked like cantaloupe's weird cousin.

"It's **papaya**," Señora Rodriguez beamed, scooping some into a small cup. "Very good for digestion. And the soul."

The first bite hit my tongue like a truck of weird—musky and sweet and somehow buttery? I swallowed, trying to keep my face neutral while Marcus filmed my reaction on his phone.

"Well?" he grinned.

"It's... not terrible," I admitted. And it wasn't. Maybe it was the papaya or maybe it was just that I'd finally done something without overthinking it to death, but I felt different. Lighter. Like maybe high school wasn't going to be completely unbearable after all.

"Told you," Marcus said, already walking away. "Welcome to living, bro."

I took another bite, bigger this time, and watched the orange gym lights reflect off the dance floor. Yeah, I thought. Yeah, I could do this.