Papaya Summer

The **lightning** flashed across the sky, illuminating the empty baseball field where I sat alone. Again. Third time this week my crush Dakota had blown me off with some weak excuse. I picked at the fraying hem of my varsity jacket, feeling like the world's biggest loser.

"Yo, Maya! You gonna mope all night or help with prep?" Carlos called from the food truck window.

I dragged myself over, where Carlos was chopping fruit with surgical precision. "Try this." He handed me a chunk of bright orange flesh. "Fresh **papaya**. My abuela swears it fixes everything."

The flavor hit me—sweet, musky, nothing like the bland fruit my mom bought from the grocery store. "Okay but how does papaya fix getting ghosted by a senior?"

Carlos laughed. "It doesn't. But standing here feeling sorry for yourself isn't helping either."

A commotion erupted near the parking lot. Some **bull** from the neighboring rodeo grounds had escaped and was charging toward the festival. People scattered, phones out, chaos everywhere.

"We need to close up!" I yelled, reaching for the serving window.

"Wait—the **baseball** team's still here for their post-game dinner!" Carlos pointed to the group of athletes approaching, looking confused but hungry. "They're gonna be hangry disasters."

I froze. Dakota walked among them, looking impossibly gorgeous under the carnival lights, completely unaware I'd been waiting.

"You've got this," Carlos said, sliding a bowl toward me. "Channel your inner **bear**—fierce, protective, totally unbothered."

Something clicked. I wasn't some pathetic freshman chasing upperclassmen validation. I was working, earning money, helping run a business. So what if Dakota didn't notice me? I noticed myself.

"Welcome to Papaya Paradise!" I called out to the approaching team, voice steady. "What can I get you champions?"

Dakota's eyes met mine. "Hey Maya! You work here? That's... actually really cool."

The lightning flashed again, but this time I didn't feel invisible. I felt powerful, like I was just getting started.