Spinach Between My Teeth

The worst part about making new friends at boarding school isn't the awkward small talk or having to explain my emoji choices every five seconds. It's that they witness your most humiliating moments up close.

I'd barely survived two weeks when Elena invited me to play padel with her squad. I didn't even know what padel was—I had to Google it in the bathroom before gym class. Turns out it's like tennis but shorter and way more intense.

"You'll be fine," Elena promised, tossing me a racket. "Just don't overthink it."

Easy for her to say. She'd been playing since middle school, moving across the court like she was born there. Meanwhile, I was busy calculating exactly how much spinach from lunch was currently wedged between my front teeth.

I'd felt something stuck there since 12:15, but hadn't been able to escape to the bathroom between classes. Now here I was, meeting Elena's cool friends, with what felt like an entire spinach farm decorating my smile.

"Nice backhand!" someone called out as I somehow managed to return the ball.

"Thanks!" I shouted back, immediately covering my mouth. If I smiled too wide, everyone would see the spinach situation. If I didn't smile enough, I'd look like I wasn't having fun. Teenage social dynamics are basically a constant game of "how many things can go wrong at once."

Then Elena jogged over, sweat dripping down her forehead. "You're actually kinda good at this," she said, grinning.

I panicked. "Thanks, I—" And then it happened. I laughed.

Full smile. No covering it up. Just pure, unguarded laughter because Elena had just faceplanted into the wall trying to save a point.

She pushed herself up, wiping dirt off her knee, and looked at me. Then she started laughing too.

"You have—" She pointed at her own teeth.

"I know," I groaned. "I've had spinach stuck there since lunch."

"And you didn't say anything?" Elena's friend Mateo yelled from across the court. "Bro, we've been playing for twenty minutes!"

"I was hoping it would magically disappear," I admitted.

They all cracked up. Not mean-girl laughter, but the kind that feels like being let in on a joke instead of being the punchline.

"Come on," Elena said, grabbing her towel. "Let's go get that spinach out of your teeth. Then we're getting bubble tea. You're officially part of the squad now."

Sometimes making friends isn't about being perfect. Sometimes it's just about letting people see you—spinach and all.