The Green Smile

The **pool** glittered like crushed diamonds under the Saturday afternoon sun, but Maya's stomach churned like a washing machine. Freshman year. First real party. First time hanging with the popular crowd. And she was already five minutes late.

Her **iPhone** buzzed in her pocket — probably Chloe from chem class wondering where she was. Maya's thumb hovered over the screen, anxiety curling through her chest. What if they'd already started drinking? What if someone asked her to do something stupid? What if she said the wrong thing?

She grabbed her phone and scrolled through Instagram as a distraction. Everyone looked so perfect. So confident. So everything she wasn't.

The truth was, Maya had been at home eating lunch before the party. And now, staring at her reflection in the sliding glass door, she noticed it — a tiny piece of **spinach** wedged between her front teeth, bright green against her nervous smile. From lunch. From over an hour ago.

No wonder the barista at Starbucks had given her that weird look.

Maya's face burned hot. She could still turn around. Could go home. Could pretend she'd never said yes to coming.

Instead, she took a breath, used her tongue to fish out the spinach, and walked through the back gate. Everyone was there — Chloe, Ryan, even Brianna, whose Instagram stories made life look like a movie. Music thumped from a Bluetooth speaker. People splashed in the pool, laughter floating across the water.

"Mayia!" Chloe waved her over. "You made it!"

Something shifted inside Maya. This wasn't about being cool or fitting in. It was just showing up. The green spinach was gone, but the nervousness stayed — and that was okay. Real life wasn't Instagram perfect.

She dropped her towel on a lounge chair. "What are we playing?"