The Green Between My Teeth

Alex's life was officially a clown show. She'd spent forty-five minutes on her eyeliner, practiced her smirk in the mirror exactly seventeen times, and mentally rehearsed three casual conversation starters. But apparently, the universe had other plans.

Because now, as she sat across from Liam—the senior who looked like he'd stepped out of a Tumblr aesthetic board—she discovered something devastating. The spinach from her lunch was still in her teeth. Not just a little bit. A full-on forest of green debris, like a tiny ecosystem thriving between her molars.

She'd been bearing this shame for approximately twenty-three minutes.

"So, Alex," Liam said, his hazel eyes locked on hers. "You gonna eat that fry?"

She should just own it. Let him see the spinach. Lean into the chaos. But instead, she covered her mouth with her hand and mumbled something about being full, because she was a coward.

Across the cafeteria, Jordan gestured dramatically at their phone. They'd been appointed as Alex's spy for the day, tasked with decoding whatever mysterious vibe Liam was putting out. Jordan claimed they'd developed a sophisticated system of signals based on eyebrow movements and throat-clearing patterns. So far, their intelligence included: "he looks interested (maybe)" and "definitely noticed something about your face (unclear what)."

Alex's golden retriever, Buster, would've handled this better. At least when Buster embarrassed himself, he did it with style—like that time he'd stolen a whole rotisserie chicken from the counter and pranced around the backyard like he'd just won the lottery. The dog had zero shame. Alex had shame in spades.

"Your dog," Liam said suddenly. "Buster, right?"

Alex froze. "You know my dog?"

Liam laughed, and it was weirdly genuine. "Everyone knows Buster. He's a legend. Broke into the teacher's lounge last month, stole like twelve sandwiches. The whole school's been obsessed with him since freshman year. We literally have a group chat dedicated to his crimes."

Alex blinked. "Wait. People talk about my dog?"

"Bro, he's the most interesting person at this school." Liam leaned forward. "But I was actually gonna ask—if you're not gonna finish those fries..."

He reached across the table, and his fingers brushed hers. Not clumsy. Intentional.

Jordan's eyes went wide from across the room. Their spy network was about to have a field day with this one.

Alex smiled widely, spinach and all.

"They're all yours."