Papaya Smoothie Disaster

Maya's dad's trucker hat sat crooked on her head — her armor against the world. "Keep your head down, blend the smoothies, don't make eye contact," she muttered under her breath, adjusting the brim. Working at her family's juice bar wasn't exactly how she envisioned spending her junior year, but rent wasn't gonna pay itself.

The door chimed. HEY.

Ethan. Track star, general hottie, reason Maya's hands suddenly forgot how to operate a blender. He was always running — practice, meets, away from conversations before they got too real. Today he looked flushed, sweat-dampened hair curling at his temples.

"What's good?" he asked, leaning against the counter like he owned the place.

"Uh." Maya's brain short-circuited. "The... Green Machine?"

"Spinach, right? My mom's obsessed with that stuff." He made a face. "Nah. Something new. Surprise me."

Maya's fingers moved on autopilot, grabbing papaya, coconut milk, a splash of orange juice. She could feel Ethan watching her, and suddenly her skin felt too tight. The blender whirred. She poured. Everything was fine.

Until she knocked over the entire cup.

Water — no, papaya disaster — everywhere. All over Ethan's pristine track jersey. All over the counter. And somehow, some ended up on her dad's hat.

"I am SO sorry," she practically shouted, grabbing napkins like her life depended on it. "I'll pay for the cleaning I swear I'm so—"

Ethan started laughing. Not mean-laughing. Actually laughing.

"Dude, chill." He grabbed some napkins, helping her wipe down the counter. "You should've seen me at regionals last week. I tripped over my own feet while running, faceplanted in front of everyone."

Maya paused. "Wait, REALLY?"

"Cross country heartbreak, baby." He grinned. "Hey, you busy after your shift? There's this food truck downtown, they have legit papaya bowls."

Maya's heart did something embarrassingly gymnastic. She adjusted her soggy hat, suddenly not wanting to hide. "I'm never washing this jersey, am I?"

"Not if you want me to survive the embarrassment." He winked. "But seriously. Text me?"

Outside, the rain started falling, and for once, Maya didn't mind getting a little wet.