Smoothie Shop Summer

Maya's third day at Tropical Smoothie Palace and she'd already managed to humiliate herself twice. First, she'd accidentally given a customer mango instead of papaya – apparently people can tell the difference, even when both are blended into something that looks like radioactive sludge. The customer, a girl from her school named Chloe who sat two tables away in AP Bio, had stared at Maya like she'd grown a second head.

"You okay?" Chloe had asked, like genuinely concerned, which somehow made it worse.

Now Maya stood behind the counter, sweat dripping down her back, her iPhone vibrating in her pocket with what felt like the forty-seventh group chat notification of the hour. Her friends were at the mall without her – again – and she was stuck wearing a polyester polo shirt that smelled vaguely of artificial fruit syrup and desperation.

The third incident happened when she tried to demonstrate the new "hydration station" setup to her manager. The water jug hadn't been properly secured. Maya went to pour what was supposed to be a refreshing display of the shop's commitment to wellness, and instead somehow managed to create a small tsunami that soaked her shirt, her shoes, and the front counter.

Chloe was still sitting there. She hadn't left. She was watching Maya with what looked like... actual amusement? Not mean-girl laughing at her expense, but like she found it genuinely funny.

"Need help?" Chloe asked, sliding off her stool.

Maya wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole. Instead she nodded, defeated.

They spent the next twenty minutes cleaning up water together. Chloe revealed she was working on her college applications and needed somewhere quiet to study. Maya admitted she'd taken the job to save up for concert tickets but was starting to regret it. They discovered they'd both been at the same party last weekend but hadn't actually talked.

"Hey," Chloe said as she gathered her stuff to leave. "There's this party tomorrow night. You should come."

Maya's phone buzzed again – her friends asking if she wanted to hang out. But for once, she hesitated. Maybe this summer wouldn't be so terrible after all.