Spinach Teeth & Stray Whiskers

The first day of sophomore year, and I'm already failing. Literally. My braces have somehow managed to trap a giant piece of spinach right in front, like a green neon sign announcing I have zero social awareness.

"You got a little..." Maya points at her own teeth, wincing in sympathy.

I bolt to the bathroom, ready to transfer schools. Or change my identity. Maybe become a mysterious homeschooled kid who never eats leafy greens in public.

But here's the thing about rock bottom – there's nowhere to go but up. Or in my case, sideways into an abandoned lot behind the 7-Eleven, where I find the skinniest, most judgmental-looking cat I've ever seen. It's missing half an ear and looks at me like I'm the one who needs rescuing.

"Cool cat," someone says behind me.

I spin around. It's Luca, the junior who sits in the back of English and writes in a notebook instead of paying attention. His hair is messy in a way that definitely takes effort.

"His name's Spinach," I lie. Because why not commit to the bit.

Luca raises an eyebrow. "Really."

"Yeah, he's green. Sometimes. In the right lighting."

To my shock, Luca laughs. Not mean-laugh. Actually laughs. "I dig it. My dog's name is Cable, which makes zero sense, but my brother swears he chewed through one when he was a puppy."

We stand there awkwardly for a second. The stray cat – apparently now Spinach – decides to wind around Luca's legs, which feels personally insulting since I'm the one who's been feeding him tuna from my lunch for three weeks.

"You skipping too?" Luca asks.

"Study hall," I say, which is technically true if you count studying the back of Maya's head while dying inside.

"Cool." He nods toward the street. "I know a spot. Good Wi-Fi, if your parents haven't figured out how to block everything yet."

My parents did actually cut the cable last month to "encourage creativity," which mostly means I've been watching random YouTube videos at 2 AM. But that's not something you say on your first almost-friend hang.

"I'm in," I say.

Spinach the cat meows like he approves. I realize the spinach in my teeth is probably still there, but for some reason, I don't care anymore.

Sometimes the worst days turn into the best stories. And sometimes you find your people in a parking lot behind a convenience store, judging stray cats together.

High school's weird like that.