The Green Smile

The chlorine smell hit Maya before she even reached the pool deck. Wednesday afternoon practice—her favorite time, until last week when Jake started watching her laps from the bleachers.

"Your form's looking tight, Maya," Coach Reynolds called as she surfaced from a set. Jake definitely heard that. Her heart did that embarrassing flutter thing.

"Hey, you heading to the meet Friday?" Jake appeared at the pool edge, water dripping from his hair. Actual words. To her.

"Yeah, swimming the 100 free," Maya managed, trying to sound chill instead of like she'd mentally rehearsed this conversation exactly 47 times. "You?"

"Same. We should warm up together."

HER. LITERAL DREAM.

But her mom had started this new phase—green smoothies every morning for "optimal athletic performance." So Maya was standing there, finally talking to Jake, with what felt like an entire forest of spinach wedged between her front teeth.

She spotted it in her phone reflection mid-laugh at his joke about Coach's old-school stopwatch.

The panic was immediate and blinding. Should she excuse herself? Pretend to yawn and cover her mouth? Play it off like she was some mysterious girl who just happened to have green dental fashion?

"Everything good?" Jake asked, head tilted.

Maya swallowed. "Yeah, just—"

She made a decision.

"I have spinach in my teeth, don't I?"

Jake blinked, then grinned. "Honestly? Yeah. A little."

"And you were just gonna let me keep talking to you with salad in my smile?"

"I thought you'd figure it out!" He laughed, and it was better than she'd imagined. "Besides, it's kind of endearing. Like you're a competitive swimmer who's also secretly a health nut or something."

"My mom's smoothies," she groaned, wiping it away with her finger. "They're against my will."

"Good to know." He leaned closer, water still pooling around his shoulders on the deck. "So. Friday's meet. Want to grab food after? With zero spinach involved?"

Maya dove back into the water a minute later, kicking harder than she had all season. The chlorine stung her eyes in the best way.

Friday couldn't come fast enough.