The Color of Courage

Maya's hair wasn't supposed to be orange. It was supposed to be a sunset pink, but the box lied, and now she walked into freshman year looking like a traffic cone. Great.

The worst part? She'd become a self-appointed spy, watching Liam from across the cafeteria like he was a mission objective. He sat with the popular crowd, laughing at jokes that definitely weren't funny, while Maya sat three tables away pretending to be fascinated by her spinach salad.

"You're staring again," her best friend Chloe whispered, kicking her sneaker under the table. "It's getting creepy."

"I'm not staring," Maya hissed. "I'm observing. There's a difference."

"You're literally a spy at this point. Just talk to him."

Easy for Chloe to say. Her hair wasn't orange.

That afternoon, Maya's worst nightmare materialized. She was laughing at something Chloe said when Liam actually approached her locker.

"Hey," he said, and Maya's brain short-circuited. "I like your hair. It's... bold."

"Thanks!" she squeaked, then grinned like an idiot. "I mean, thanks. Yeah. Bold. That's me."

He smiled back, and Maya felt like she might pass out. Then he kept walking, and Chloe grabbed her arm.

"You had spinach in your teeth the entire time."

Maya's face burned hotter than her hair. "Seriously?"

"Seriously." Chloe paused. "But he still said he liked your hair."

Maya touched her orange curls, catching her reflection in the locker mirror. She looked ridiculous. She'd had spinach in her teeth. And somehow, someway, Liam had still noticed her.

Maybe orange wasn't so bad after all. Maybe being seen—even when you're messy and imperfect—was better than being the spy in the corner, always watching, never living.

Tomorrow, she'd talk to him. Spinach-free.