The Green Smoothie Bet

Maya stared at the green sludge in her blender like it was radioactive. Spinach, banana, protein powder—the whole wellness influencer routine. Her friend Nina had posted about her "morning glow routine" on Snapchat, and suddenly Maya felt basic for eating actual food.

"You're really doing this?" Leo leaned against her doorframe, looking effortlessly cool in his varsity jacket. He was the swimming captain who somehow made chlorine smell like cologne.

"Shut up, Leo." Maya took a sip and nearly gagged. It tasted like liquid lawn.

"Tryouts are Friday," Leo said, checking his phone. "For the relay. You've been running laps at the park instead of actually swimming. What's up with that?"

Maya's face burned. She hadn't been in the pool since the incident last month—when she'd frozen mid-race and everyone had stared. The water had felt suffocating, like it was pulling her under instead of pushing her forward.

"I'm diversifying my workout," she lied. "Plus, this spinach smoothie is supposed to help with recovery."

Leo snorted. "Right. Because that's definitely why you're avoiding the pool."

He walked over and grabbed the blender cup. "Bet you can't drink that whole thing and beat me in a 50-meter freestyle tomorrow morning."

Maya's heart raced. "If I win?"

"I'll post on my finsta that you're faster than me."

"Deal."

The next morning, Maya stood at the pool's edge, stomach churning from the green smoothie. Leo dove in like he was born there. Maya followed, the water wrapping around her like an old friend she'd ghosted.

Her strokes were rusty at first, then fluid. Her arms remembered what her mind had tried to forget—the rhythm, the power, the way water moved when you respected it. She touched the wall, gasping, and looked up.

Leo was already there, grinning. "You're slow, but you're back."

"I hate you."

"But you drank the spinach sludge and got in the water." He tossed her a towel. "Progress, Maya. Progress."

She smiled, actually smiled, for the first time in weeks. Maybe the wellness stuff wasn't her thing, but the water? She'd missed the water.