Spinach and the School Mascot

Sofia's hair refused to cooperate that morning. She'd spent forty-five minutes trying to perfect the beach waves her favorite influencer swore were "effortless," but now they hung more like "I just woke up after sleeping through a tornado."

The first day of sophomore year and she already felt behind.

"You okay?" her mom asked from the kitchen doorway.

"Fine," Sofia muttered, grabbing a granola bar instead of the smoothie with spinach her mom had prepared. "Gotta run."

The cafeteria at Forest Hills High was its own ecosystem. Jocks at one table, theater kids at another, everyone performing like their lives depended on it. Sofia had spent freshman year floating between groups, never quite landing anywhere.

Today, that was going to change.

She spotted Jamie Chen sitting alone at a table near the windows. They'd been lab partners last year, and Jamie had laughed at Sofia's terrible puns during dissection day. Jamie was cool—but not intimidating cool. The kind of person who'd joined drama club but also secretly binge-watched anime.

Sofia's heart hammered against her ribs as she approached.

"Hey Jamie," she said, sliding into the seat across from her. "Mind if I—"

"Sofia!" Jamie's face lit up. "No way!"

They fell into easy conversation. About teachers, about how the school's air conditioning was always somehow simultaneously freezing and broken, about Mr. Harrison's boring lectures that literally everyone slept through.

Sofia felt herself relaxing. Maybe this year wouldn't be so bad after all.

Then Marcus walked by.

Marcus Rodriguez, who'd dated three different girls from the soccer team in one semester. Marcus, whose idea of a fun Friday night was seeing how many freshmen he could convince to do humiliating dares.

"Nice hair, Sofia," he said, leaning over their table. "Did you get electrocuted or something?"

Jamie stiffened.

Sofia's face burned. She opened her mouth to say something witty, something cool, anything that wouldn't make her look like the scared freshman she still felt like inside.

"Leave her alone, Marcus," someone said.

Sofia turned to see Tyler, the guy who sat behind her in history, standing there with his lunch tray. The guy who always smelled like vanilla and old books.

"Whatever," Marcus said, walking away.

"You okay?" Tyler asked Sofia.

"Yeah," she said, but her voice cracked.

"He's such a bull sometimes," Jamie muttered. "Full steam ahead, no regard for collateral damage."

Sofia snorted, then covered her mouth. She felt something green and leafy stuck between her front teeth.

The smoothie. She'd skipped drinking it, but apparently some spinach had been clinging to her lip anyway.

The entire table went silent.

"You have—" Tyler started.

"I know," Sofia said, and instead of dying of embarrassment right there, instead of running to the bathroom and never returning, she started laughing.

Jamie started laughing too. Tyler grinned.

"Well," Sofia said, once she could breathe again. "That could've gone worse."

"Could've gone better too," Jamie pointed out.

"Yeah, but at least now Marcus can't say anything that'll top me having spinach in my teeth while trying to make a good impression."

"Fair," Jamie said. "So, are you sitting here tomorrow?"

Sofia looked at Jamie, at Tyler who was still standing there with his tray, at her terrible hair that she was actually starting to like.

"Yeah," she said. "I think I am."

Her phone buzzed. Her mom: "Don't forget to eat something healthy!"

Sofia typed back: "Already did. The hard way."

She slid her phone away and rejoined the conversation, spinach and all.