The Green Smoothie Bet

Maya stared at the blender like it held nuclear waste. "Dude, no way. That looks like actual sludge."

"It's not sludge, it's liquid gold," Chloe insisted, flipping her ponytail with the confidence of someone who'd never had a taste bud betrayed. "My sister's been doing this for months. She says it cleared up her skin AND gave her, like, superpowers."

"Your sister also believes in crystal healing," Maya deadpanned. She and Chloe had been best friends since seventh grade, back when Maya's braces made her look like a brace-faced shark and Chloe still wore those terrible homemade sweaters. They'd come a long way from those days—mostly because they'd mutually agreed to never speak about the bangs incident of 2018.

"Just try it. One sip. I bet you can't even taste the spinach."

Maya crossed her arms. "What's in it?"

"Banana, mango, coconut water, and... spinach. Just a handful. It's basically a salad in a cup."

"Spinach is not 'basically' anything. Spinach is spinach. It's what sad people eat when they're trying to become happy people."

"It's packed with every vitamin your body literally needs, Maya. You've been complaining about being tired all week. This could change your life."

Maya rolled her eyes so hard she saw her own brain. "Okay, first of all, I'm tired because I stayed up until 3am finishing that history paper. Second, I'm not drinking something that looks like the Hulk's bathwater."

"I'll give you twenty bucks."

Maya paused. "...to drink it?"

"To finish it. All of it."

"Make it fifty and you've got yourself a deal."

"Thirty-five, and I'll also do your chemistry homework for a week."

"Forty. And you're taking notes in math tomorrow because I'm going to need you to explain whatever nonsense Mr. Henderson was talking about today."

"Deal."

Maya took the glass. The smoothie was an alarmingly vibrant green, like someone had liquefied a lawn. She brought it to her nose. Surprisingly, it smelled like tropical fruit. She hesitated, then took a tiny sip.

Her eyes widened. "Wait. This is... actually kind of fire?"

"Told you!" Chloe grinned, looking way too pleased with herself.

Maya took another sip, then a bigger one. "Okay, but if I turn green tomorrow, I'm blaming you."

"You won't turn green. You'll turn into someone who actually gets their vitamins in for once."

Maya finished the drink, handed Chloe the empty glass, and held out her hand. "Forty bucks, bestie. And I want my chemistry homework done by Monday."

"You're the worst," Chloe said, but she was smiling.

"And yet, here we are. Still friends after all these years."

"Despite the spinach."

"Especially the spinach," Maya said, then made a face. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but make me another one tomorrow."

"Only if you pay me this time."

"Deal."