Spinach Teeth and the 5K Truth

I'd been crushing on Leo since September, when he accidentally knocked my books out of my hands and then helped pick them up with this apologetic grin that made my stomach do backflips. So when he finally noticed me at track practice? I should've been vibing. Instead, I was dying.

"Hey, you're getting faster," Leo said, falling into step beside me during our cool-down lap. "Your form's way better than last month."

I was so busy trying to look casual and not like I was basically sprinting while he was jogging that I didn't notice Marcus—aka the human vitamin supplement of our school—loudly announcing from the sidelines: "YOOO, Maya's got something in her teeth! It's been there ALL PRACTICE!"

I stopped running. My face went nuclear.

Leo didn't miss a beat. "It's not that bad," he said, but he was definitely looking at my mouth.

I sprinted to the bathroom and yanked out my phone camera. SPINACH. A giant, emerald-green piece of spinach wedged between my front teeth, like a tiny judgmental tree. I'd had that smoothie for breakfast, SIX HOURS AGO. This was my life now.

When I finally emerged, ready to transfer schools and move to another country, Leo was still there. leaning against the gym wall like this was normal.

"So," he said, all casual. "My dad's got this whole thing about 'running like a bull'—like, charging through everything instead of, you know, pacing yourself. I think you're doing it right."

"A bull?" I said, still processing the spinach trauma.

"Yeah. He's all about intensity, but I think you've got this whole... graceful persistence thing going on." He paused. "Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to study for AP Bio together sometime?"

The spinach was gone. My face was probably still red. But in that moment, I didn't care.

"Yeah," I said, smiling for real this time. "I'd like that."

Sometimes the most embarrassing moments become the ones that change everything. And sometimes—just sometimes—having spinach in your teeth is exactly what you need to finally be seen.