The Green Smoothie Incident

The smell of chlorine hit me before I even saw the pool. My best friend Kai grabbed my arm, practically vibrating with energy.

"Dude, you're actually coming to Tyler's party? This is huge!"

"Only because you made me," I muttered, adjusting my oversized t-shirt. "I don't do pools. I don't do parties. I definitely don't do Tyler whatever-his-last-name is."

"You're doing all three today," Kai said, dragging me toward the backyard where half our sophomore class was already splashing around. "Live a little, Maya."

I spotted him immediately — Tyler Chen, leaning against the fence with that effortless cool that made my stomach do weird things. His golden retriever, Buster, was beside him, looking like the world's most perfect dog.

Then I saw HER: Jessica, Tyler's ex, in a bikini that probably cost more than my entire wardrobe, laughing at something he said.

"See? Not worth it," I said, turning back toward the house. "I'm gonna go hide in the bathroom."

"Nope." Kai blocked my path. "Tyler's mom asked me to make smoothies for everyone. You're helping."

"Since when do you make smoothies?"

"Since I saw their blender and got inspired." He shoved a handful of kale and spinach at me. "Chop."

Ten minutes later, I was aggressively stuffing spinach into the blender while Kai tried to look like he knew what he was doing. Tyler wandered over, Buster trotting behind him.

"Hey," Tyler said. "Those smell... interesting."

"They're DETOX," Kai announced dramatically. "And Buster wants one."

Buster chose that moment to sneeze directly into the blender. Tyler lunged to stop him, tripped over his own feet, and sent a full pitcher of water crashing onto me. I stood there, dripping green smoothie and pool water, spinach leaves stuck to my face.

Dead silence.

Then Tyler started laughing. Not mean laughing — the kind where he couldn't breathe. "I'm so sorry," he gasped. "That was... actually kind of legendary."

I looked down at my ruined shirt, then at Kai who was cackling, then at Tyler who was still grinning at me like an idiot. And suddenly, I was laughing too.

"Your dog has terrible timing," I said, wiping spinach from my cheek.

"Buster's a menace," Tyler agreed, handing me a towel. "Hey, after this... you want to help me hose him down? He kind of needs a bath anyway."

"Only if Kai helps too," I said.

"Deal," said Kai, already refilling the blender. "But next time, we're making chocolate ones."