Spinach in the Spotlight

Maya pulled her beanie down lower, covering the curls she'd spent forty-five minutes trying to tame. First day at Ridgebrook High, and she was already regretting her outfit choice. The cafeteria was a minefield of cliques and judgment, and she'd somehow managed to sit directly under a flickering fluorescent light.

"Hey, Spinach Girl," someone called out.

Maya froze. She'd been eating her mom's kale-spinach smoothie for breakfast every day since middle school, but apparently that was criminal offense number one in the social hierarchy. She turned to see who'd spoken – some guy in a letterman jacket, grinning like he'd just discovered comedy gold.

"Nice hat," he added. "What's under there?"

Her face burned. She'd spent years perfecting her invisible act, and now she was being called out in front of everyone.

"Leave her alone, Tyler," a voice said.

Maya looked up to see a girl with blue hair and a confidence Maya instantly envied. "He's just projecting because he's still recovering from that spinach-in-his-teeth incident at homecoming last year."

The table erupted. Tyler's grin vanished.

"I'm Riley," the girl said, sliding into the seat across from Maya. "Your smoothie looks bomb. What's in it?"

Suddenly, the cafeteria lights went dark.

"Lightning hit the transformer!" someone shouted.

In the momentary chaos, Maya noticed Riley had something green in her teeth. Like, a LOT of something.

"You, um..." Maya whispered. "Spinach."

Instead of dying, Riley burst out laughing. "Classic. Want to know why I called Tyler out?"

Maya nodded.

"Because last year, when I had spinach in MY teeth at homecoming? Nobody told me. I went through the whole night thinking everyone was staring at me because they liked my dress."

The lights flickered back on. Students were still buzzing about the lightning strike.

"Friendship rule number one," Riley said, grinning with zero shame. "If you see spinach, you say spinach. Period."

Maya smiled – actually smiled, not the polite half-smile she'd been giving everyone all morning. She took off her hat.

"Deal," she said. "But you're trying my smoothie."