Smoothie Operator

Alex Chen's first week at Northwood High could have gone worse. Probably.

Definitely not today.

The problem started at 7:15 AM when Mom decided that what Alex really needed on their first day presenting a group project was her signature "brain power" smoothie. "Trust me, sweetie, the papaya makes it creamy, and the spinach is basically invisible."

Note: The spinach was not invisible. Especially when you have braces and a tendency to smile nervously while public speaking.

Now Alex sat at lunch, scrolling through TikTok and praying nobody noticed the green flecks stuck in their orthodontia. Meanwhile, across the cafeteria, The Table—a cluster of juniors who somehow looked like they'd stepped out of a Pinterest board—was laughing at something.

Especially Jordan. Jordan with the vintage tees and effortless hair and the kind of smile that made Alex forget how to words.

"Yo, Alex!" Jordan called, suddenly appearing beside them. "Group project meeting in Mr. Rivera's room, remember?"

Alex nodded, attempting to cover their mouth with their hand. "Yeah. Um. Totally."

They walked together, Alex hyperaware of every spinach particle, Jordan somehow making awkward silence look comfortable.

"So," Jordan said as they reached the classroom. "I was thinking we could—" They stopped. "Dude, you got a little something..."

Alex's soul left their body.

But instead of making it weird, Jordan just reached into their backpack, pulled out a mirror, and handed it over. "I once came to school with cat whiskers drawn on my face because my little sister got to me before my morning coffee. We've all been there."

Alex stared at their reflection. The spinach situation was catastrophic. But Jordan was just... waiting? Like this was normal?

"My cat," Jordan continued, pulling out their phone to show a picture of the world's grumpiest orange tabby, "decided my homework was a bed at 2 AM. I didn't sleep. I have standards for embarrassment now, and honestly? You're not even cracking my top five."

Alex laughed—really laughed—for the first time all day.

"Nice cat," they said, finally managing to clean off the spinach. "I'm Alex, by the way. The guy with the health-nut mom and zero dignity."

"Jordan," they grinned. "And for the record? I once choked on a papaya seed in front of my entire English class. Smoothies are dangerous territory."

Maybe Northwood High wouldn't be so bad after all.