Spinach Deep

Maya's palms were sweating. Again. She wiped them on her cutoff shorts for the third time, staring at the invitation on her phone. Tyler's pool party. Tonight.

"You're going, right?" Jaz said, flopping onto Maya's bed. "Everyone's gonna be there."

"Everyone except me," Maya muttered. "I don't have a suit. I look like a potato in swimwear."

"Girl, please." Jaz rolled her eyes. "You're being dramatic. Just wear that black one-piece. It's cute."

Cute wasn't the problem. The problem was the green smoothie she'd spilled on it last week, leaving a stain that looked exactly like a spinach leaf right across her stomach. She'd tried everything to get it out. Nothing worked.

By 7 PM, Maya was standing at the edge of Tyler's backyard pool, fully clothed, clutching a red Solo cup like it was a life preserver. The backyard was transformed—fairy lights everywhere, Spotify bumping, and a literal buffet arranged on tables that made Maya's stomach do weird flips.

"Maya!" Tyler materialized, dripping wet, grinning like he'd just won the lottery. "You made it!"

"Yeah, just..." She gestured vaguely at herself. "Hanging out."

"Cool, cool." He looked at her expectantly. "You gonna swim?"

"Maybe later."

"You sure?" Jaz called from the pool, already splashing around with three other girls. "The water's perfect!"

Maya's phone buzzed. Her mom: Did you eat? Did you take your contacts out? Don't stay too late—there's lightning in the forecast.

She looked up. Sure enough, the sky was darkening in the distance, a faint flicker of lightning branching across the horizon like cracks in a broken window.

"Storm's coming," Tyler said, following her gaze. "We should probably move inside. But first—you really gonna stand there in jeans when it's ninety degrees?"

Something shifted in Maya's chest. Maybe it was the lightning, literally illuminating the ridiculousness of standing at a pool party fully clothed. Maybe it was Tyler looking at her like he actually gave a damn whether she had fun. Maybe she was just tired of her own insecurity.

She kicked off her flip-flops. Pulled off her oversized t-shirt.

The spinach stain was still there, bright green and unignorable right across her stomach.

Three people turned to look.

"Is that..." someone started.

"Spinach," Maya said loudly. "From this morning's smoothie. I'm basically a health guru now."

Tyler cracked up. "That's actually sick."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Jump in already."

She cannonballed.

The water swallowed her whole—cool and shocking and perfect. When she broke the surface, gasping and laughing, everyone was smiling. No one cared about the stain. No one was judging her thighs or her stomach or the stupid green mark across her swimsuit.

Lightning flashed again, closer this time. A rumble of thunder followed.

"Inside!" someone yelled.

They ran, dripping and laughing, toward the back door. Maya caught Jaz's eye. Jaz gave her a thumbs-up.

Maya looked down at her palm, still tingling from the cold pool water, and realized she wasn't sweating anymore.

She was just living.