Spinach Teeth & Poolside Dreams

Maya's palms were sweating. Like, actually sweaty. She wiped them on her denim shorts for the third time and stared at the entrance to Tyler's backyard pool party.

"You good, bestie?" Chloe nudged her shoulder. "You've been standing here for five minutes looking like you're about to walk into a horror movie instead of a lit party."

"I'm not prepared," Maya whispered. "What if Liam thinks I'm basic? What if I do something weird?"

"Girl, you ARE weird," Chloe said, grabbing her hand. "That's why we love you. Now let's go."

The backyard was transformed. String lights everywhere, music bumping, a whole buffet situation. And there he was — Liam, leaning against a palm tree, laughing with his friends. Maya felt her stomach do that thing where it forgot how to exist.

"Try this," Chloe shoved a piece of fruit at her. "It's papaya. Very cultured of you."

Maya took a bite. It was... interesting. Sweet but weirdly musky. She forced a smile while scanning the room for Liam.

"Everyone's swimming," she noticed. People jumping in the pool, splashing, having the time of their lives. "I should go swimming."

"You hate swimming," Chloe pointed out.

"Exactly. It's called character development."

But before she could make her move toward the pool, she spotted him walking toward her. Liam. Actual Liam, in the flesh, wearing orange swim trunks that hit different.

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

"SO much fun," she said, maybe too loudly. "This papaya is literally life-changing."

He laughed. "Cool. Hey, you got a little something..." He gestured to his teeth.

Maya's soul left her body. She rushed to the bathroom mirror and there it was — a giant piece of bright green spinach wedged between her front teeth. From lunch. THREE HOURS AGO.

She wanted to die. Actually evaporate from existence.

But then she heard someone else laugh. She looked out the window and saw Liam, still standing by the palm tree, smiling at something his friend said. And suddenly it didn't matter. She wasn't going to spend her whole life worrying about perfect moments that didn't exist.

Maya fixed the spinach, walked back outside, and cannonballed into the pool with her clothes on.

"What are you doing?" someone yelled.

"LIVING," she shouted back, surfacing with a massive grin. The whole backyard cheered. Even Liam was laughing, actually laughing, and he raised his soda in her direction.

Some nights, you get spinach in your teeth. Some nights, you jump in pools fully clothed. The best nights? You do both and realize nobody actually cares as much as you do.