Spinach Smile and Sweaty Palms

The thing about Marcus's parties? They were the kind everyone at Northwood High talked about for weeks after. Which was exactly why I was standing outside his front door, my palm so sweaty I could barely grip the doorknob.

"You got this," Mia whispered, my best friend since seventh grade who'd somehow convinced me to come. She looked perfect, naturally, while I was still adjusting to my new braces and suddenly very aware of every single tooth in my mouth.

Inside, the bass vibrated through my chest. I grabbed a handful of spinach dip from a platter—my mom would be proud of the vegetable choice, at least—and tried to look casual. That's when I saw Jason by the speakers, the guy I'd been lowkey crushing on since chemistry started.

Our eyes met. He smiled. I smiled back, probably too wide.

"Hey Maya," he said, walking over. "Having fun?"

"Yeah, totally," I managed, while internally screaming because my heart was doing gymnastics.

We talked for maybe five minutes about music and how Mr. Henderson's class was actual torture. He laughed at my jokes. I felt like I could actually breathe.

Then I went to the bathroom to reapply lip gloss—and stared at my reflection in horror. A massive, fluorescent green piece of spinach was wedged between my front brackets like some kind of vegetable trophy.

I brushed it out, hands shaking, and considered faking a sudden illness. Just ghost the party. Never return to school. Change my name and move to another country.

But when I walked out, head down, ready to embrace my new life as a social outcast, Jason was waiting.

"About earlier," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was gonna say something, but you were so confident about it, I didn't want to be that guy."

He held up his phone to show his reflection—a smaller, but equally noticeable piece of spinach in his own teeth.

We both started laughing. Actual, real laughter.

"We're hopeless," I said.

"Yeah," he grinned. "But at least we're hopeless together. Want to get some food that doesn't require dental excavation?"

Mia caught my eye from across the room and gave me a subtle thumbs up. Sometimes, I thought, the worst moments become the best stories. And sometimes you survive your most embarrassing moments and come out the other side with something—someone—new.