The Green Between My Teeth

Maya's stomach did backflips as she stepped through the gate of Jessica's pool party. The invitation had been unexpected—they'd barely spoken since seventh grade—but apparently Jessica's mom insisted she invite 'everyone from homeroom.'

The backyard was already buzzing. Kids Maya recognized from school lounged by the **pool**, some cannonballing into the crystal-blue water while others sat on the edge, legs dangling, laughing about something on someone's phone. Maya clutched her towel like a security blanket. Why had she even come?

'Maya! You made it!' Jessica materialized, dripping wet but beaming. 'We're organizing a **padel** tournament on the court. You play?'

Padel? Maya had seen it on TikTok—basically tennis but with shorter racquets and walls you could hit the ball off. 'Uh, not really,' she admitted.

'It's fine! We're doing random teams. Come on!'

Before Maya could protest, Jessica was dragging her toward the food table. 'First, grab something. You look like you haven't eaten all day.'

That was an understatement. Maya had been too nervous to eat lunch, convinced someone would notice if she had lettuce stuck in her braces or something equally humiliating. She loaded her plate with **spinach** salad and crackers, trying to look casual while her heart hammered against her ribs.

'This is Tyler,' Jessica announced, gesturing to a guy with shaggy hair and an easy grin. 'He's your partner.'

'Hey.' Tyler high-fived her. 'Ready to crush this?'

'Maybe,' Maya said, actually smiling for the first time. They walked to the padel court together, and Tyler kept up a steady stream of jokes about how he'd once accidentally hit a ball into a neighbor's hedge and spent twenty minutes fishing it out.

The game was chaos—pure, glorious chaos. Maya's serve went wild, bouncing off the back wall and somehow landing in bounds. Tyler cheered like they'd just won Wimbledon. By the third point, they were both laughing so hard they could barely swing.

'Not bad for beginners,' Jessica called from the sidelines, checking her phone. 'Hey, anyone want to jump in the pool after this?'

'Me first!' Maya shouted, surprising herself. She sprinted toward the water, still in her game clothes, and cannonballed into the deep end. The cool water shocked her system, washing away the anxiety that had been coiled in her chest all afternoon.

When she surfaced, sputtering and grinning, Tyler gave her a thumbs-up. 'Spinach in your teeth, by the way,' he said casually. 'But honestly? It makes you look fierce.'

Maya laughed so hard she went under again. Whatever. Let the spinach stay. She was too busy having the time of her life to care.