Spinach Gate

Maya stared at her reflection in the cafeteria mirror, groaning inwardly. Of all days to have a piece of bright orange lettuce stuck in her braces, it had to be today—the day Jason finally noticed her existence.

"You got a little... thing," Jason said, gesturing vaguely at his mouth, looking equal parts amused and mortified for her.

Maya's face burned. She'd spent forty-five minutes perfecting her winged eyeliner and choosing an outfit that screamed 'effortlessly cool,' only to be defeated by a salad. She'd never eat spinach again.

"Thanks," she mumbled, scrubbing at her teeth with her finger. "You know, they say spinach is supposed to make you strong. Like Popeye."

Jason laughed, and it was this genuinely warm sound that made her stomach do this weird fluttery thing. "Yeah, well, Popeye didn't have braces. That's a deadly combo."

Her iPhone buzzed in her pocket—probably her group chat blowing up about the basketball game tonight. But she ignored it, because Jason was still standing there, actually talking to her, and she wasn't about to mess this up by checking her notifications like some desperate middle schooler.

"So," he said, leaning against the lockers. "You going to the game? Everyone's saying our team's going to get absolutely destroyed by Central. Their mascot is literally a bull. It's kind of terrifying."

Maya shrugged. "Maybe. I'm more of a 'sit in my room watching Netflix while pretending to be productive' kind of person. But I could be persuaded."

"Oh yeah? What would it take to persuade you?" Jason raised an eyebrow, and there was this sparkle in his eyes that made her feel like maybe—just maybe—this wasn't just another awkward cafeteria encounter.

"Hmm." Maya pretended to think about it. "Maybe someone promises to help me avoid social situations every five minutes? Or at least provides sufficient snacks."

"Deal." Jason grinned. "I'll even bring extra orange snacks. You know, for balance."

Maya laughed, and something shifted between them—this tiny, electric moment that felt like the beginning of something real. Maybe her spinach disaster wasn't so disastrous after all.

"You're on," she said. "But if any green food appears near me, I'm out."

"Noted." Jason checked his phone. "I gotta get to practice, but... save me a seat?"

"Only if you promise not to let me embarrass myself," she called after him.

"No promises," he shot back, already walking away. "But I'll bring backup spinach. Just in case."

Maya's phone buzzed again. This time, she didn't ignore it.