The Green Between My Teeth

Freshman year was basically a four-year sentence in social purgatory, and Maya was currently serving day 47. The homecoming dance loomed like a neon-lit monster, and she'd somehow agreed to go with Jordan—the Jordan who sat behind her in bio and smelled like sandalwood and confidence.

Now she stood in her bathroom, staring down her reflection. The dress was fine. The makeup was ... passable. But her hair had staged a full rebellion. She grabbed her dad's old baseball cap and shoved it over the disaster. "You look like a zombie who gave up on brains three weeks ago," her sister announced from the doorway, scrolling through TikTok.

"Thanks, that's exactly the vibe I'm going for."

"Mom! Maya's wearing a hat to homecoming!"

"Take it off!" her mom called from downstairs. "Jordan will be here any minute!"

Maya sighed and yanked the cap off. Her hair poofed out like a startled poodle. Whatever. She grabbed her phone and headed to the kitchen for some last-minute nerves management. Her dad stood at the stove, sautéing something green and leafy.

"Spinach?" she wrinkled her nose.

"It's good for you! Want some before the dance?"

"Absolutely not. Do you want me to be the girl who smells like a salad bar?" But she snagged a leaf anyway, crunching dramatically. "See? Living on the edge."

The doorbell rang. Her heart did that thing where it forgot how to heart. She grabbed a bottle of water from the counter and downed half of it because apparently her throat had suddenly turned into the Sahara Desert.

Jordan looked stupidly good in a button-down and actual nice shoes. They made awkward small talk in the car. The gym was already thumping with bass and sweating teenagers when they arrived. Someone had gone overboard with the fog machine, and Maya felt like she'd stepped into a low-budget music video.

They danced. She stepped on his feet twice. He didn't seem to notice. Then Jordan leaned in close. "Hey, you got a little—" He gestured toward his own teeth.

Maya's stomach dropped through the floor.

She sprinted to the bathroom and locked herself in a stall. A giant piece of spinach sat between her front teeth, mocking her entire existence. She'd literally walked around with it all night. Jordan had seen it. Everyone had seen it.

Maya slid down to the gross bathroom floor and pulled out her phone. Her friends' group chat was already blowing up. Did she just LEAVE THE DANCE? What happened???

She typed back: I'm done. I'm never showing my face again. I'm transferring to a school in another timezone.

A knock on the stall door. "Maya? You okay?" It was Jordan's voice.

"I'm DEAD. Literally deceased. Please leave my funeral."

"You want to get out of here? There's this food truck by the park. They have really good fries."

Maya stood up, caught her reflection in the mirror—spinach-free now—and grinned. Maybe homecoming hadn't gone perfectly. But Jordan hadn't left. And honestly? That felt like kind of a win.