Spinach Smile & Lightning Strikes

Maya's reflection in the bathroom mirror showed exactly zero signs of the cool confidence she was faking. The padel courts at Tyler's party were already thwacking with sounds of decent players being way too athletic for a Friday night.

"You got this," she whispered to herself, touching the tiny goldfish necklace her grandma gave her before she moved across the country. It was basically her emotional support jewelry at this point.

She'd barely stepped onto the patio when Skylar—that effortlessly gorgeous human who somehow made everything look easy—waved her over.

"Hey! You're up next," Skylar said, grinning like they'd been friends forever instead of just sharing AP Bio.

Maya's stomach did that nervous flip thing it always did when cute people noticed her existence. She grabbed a party snack from a nearby table and took a bite, hoping it would calm her nerves.

Bad move. Like, spectacularly bad.

"You got a little something..." Skylar made a gesture toward their own teeth.

**Spinach.** Of course it was spinach. Because the universe had personally appointed itself as Maya's humiliation manager.

She practically sprinted to the bathroom, already planning her fake illness that would require going home immediately. Never returning. Maybe changing schools.

But then she caught her reflection again—the goldfish necklace catching the light, the faint green remnant in her teeth, the utter ridiculousness of caring so much about what people thought.

And just like **lightning** striking clear skies, something clicked. Nobody actually cared. Skylar had been nice about it. The people laughing were laughing with each other, not at her.

Maya washed away the spinach, took a breath, and walked back out. When Skylar asked if she wanted to play doubles, she said yes.

Her first serve went directly into the net. The second one almost hit a fence. But she was laughing. Actually laughing.

"You're terrible at this," Skylar said, tossing her a fresh ball.

"Yeah, well," Maya grinned, swinging the paddle like she meant it. "I'm just getting started."