Summer of Smoothie Regrets

The vitamin gummies in my pocket were supposed to be my secret weapon—Mom swore they'd help me 'focus' at my new job at Tropical Freeze. Instead, they were just melting into a sticky orange mess that was definitely going to stain my apron.

'You're up, Maya.' Chase, the senior I'd been lowkey crushing on since freshman orientation, slid behind me. His surfshop cologne mixed with the overwhelming scent of fresh papaya we'd chopped earlier. 'Remember: confidence. You got this.'

I didn't got this. I had exactly zero customer service experience and approximately negative amounts of chill.

The door jingled. A girl walked in with the most aesthetic golden retriever I'd ever seen—literally perfect amber fur, calm energy, wearing a tiny bandana. The whole shop went silent. Someone gasped. I recognized her from Instagram—Paige, the junior whose aesthetics were so curated they made me want to delete my entire existence.

'Can I get your signature papaya refresher?' Her voice sounded expensive. 'But can you make it actually good? The last guy totally failed.'

Chase raised an eyebrow at me like *good luck, you're gonna need it*.

My hands shook as I reached for the papaya. The blender roared. I poured with zero grace, splashing pink juice everywhere. The dog—Waffles, according to the bandana—started whining excitedly, tail thwacking against Paige's legs. And then it happened. Waffles launched herself at the counter, tongue out, exactly as I turned with the full blender.

Pink explosion. Everywhere. All over me, all over Paige, all over Waffles who was now living her best life licking papaya off her snout.

The shop went dead silent. Paige stared at me, pink dripping from her perfectly styled bangs. Chase's mouth hung open. I wanted to teleport directly into the sun.

But then Paige started laughing. Not mean-girl laughing, but actual doubling-over-can't-breathe laughing. Waffles was still going to town on her papaya-coated fur. Chase was shaking his head, grinning.

'Dude,' someone whispered from the line. 'That was iconic.'

I stood there, covered in tropical fruit destruction, and realized something: I'd just gone viral in real life. Paige wiped pink from her cheek, still laughing, and handed me a twenty. 'Best first day ever. Keep the change. Waffles approves.'

The vitamin gummies in my pocket were still melting, but somehow, none of that mattered anymore.