Papaya Sabotage

Maya hated running. Absolutely despised it. But when her older brother Jay challenged her to train for the freshman cross-country team, she couldn't say no. Not when he looked at her with those hopeful eyes, like she could actually be someone who did things like join teams and make friends.

So here she was, at her third practice, dead last as usual. Her lungs burned, her legs felt like jelly, and her ponytail was definitely not serving the athletic vibe she was going for.

"Keep pushing, Maya!" Coach Williams yelled as she wheezed past him.

She wanted to disappear. Instead, she accidentally spied on the popular girls—Chloe, Brianna, and Taylor—through the cracked door of the equipment shed. They were sitting on stacks of gym mats, phones out, laughing.

"Wait, show me that again," Chloe said. "The one with Jake's party?"

Maya should've kept running. But she didn't. She crept closer, heart racing for reasons that had nothing to do with exercise. Being invisible was safe. Being seen? That was terrifying.

Then her stomach chose that exact moment to emit a sound like a dying whale. The girls looked up. Maya's face went nuclear.

"Were you... spying on us?" Brianna asked, not even mad, just confused.

Maya considered running away forever. Instead, she blurted out, "I'm sorry, I just—your papaya body wash, I smell it every day after practice and I was wondering what brand it is because my skin is terrible and—"

Why. WHY did her brain do this.

The girls stared at her. And then—they laughed. But not mean laughter. The kind where you're crying and can't breathe.

"Oh my god," Chloe gasped. "That's the weirdest compliment anyone's ever given me."

"It's from Target," Taylor added. "I'll send you the link."

Three weeks later, Maya still wasn't fast. But she had a new group chat called Papaya Squad, Friday plans, and the realization that the scariest part of high school wasn't running or failing or embarrassing yourself—it was missing your chance to be seen.

She still hated running though. Some things never changed.