The Green speck

Maya's hands were shaking as she hovered over the send button, her iPhone screen glowing in the dim bathroom light. This was it—the text that could change everything.

*Hey, I'm at Jordan's party too. Want to hang?*

She hit send. Then immediately wanted to die.

Why had she used "hang"? Who said that? She sounded like her mom trying to be cool.

The bathroom door swung open. "Maya, you coming? Everyone's in the pool!"

It was Chloe, giving her that look—the one that said *I know you're overthinking everything again.*

Maya checked the mirror one last time. And there it was. A tiny piece of green spinach wedged between her front teeth, glowing like a neon sign announcing her social doom.

"Are you kidding me?" She groaned, attacking it with her fingernail. "I haven't even eaten spinach today!"

"Just come to the pool already," Chloe said. "Jordan's out there."

Jordan. The reason she was even at this party. The reason her stomach had been doing backflips since Wednesday.

Maya's cat Snowball had other plans. The traitor had slipped out the front door when Maya arrived and was now streaking across the backyard like a fluffy white maniac, headed straight for the pool.

"Snowball, NO!" Maya sprinted after him.

The cat splashed into the water with a dramatic yowl, creating a wave that caught Jordan completely off guard. His phone flew out of his hand and landed with a splash.

Maya dove into the pool, her clothes soaking through instantly. She fished around blindly until her fingers brushed against Jordan's phone. She surfaced, water streaming from her hair, holding the device like a prize.

"Your phone," she said, breathless. "It's... probably dead."

Jordan stared at her, then down at his sopping wet device, then back at her. And then he started laughing. Not mean laughing—genuine, doubled-over, can't-breathe laughing.

"You just saved my iPhone from certain death," he said, "and your cat tried to swim. That's literally the most metal thing that's ever happened at one of my parties."

Maya felt herself smiling. "Snowball hates water. I think he was trying to rescue me from social embarrassment."

"Well," Jordan said, offering her his palm to help her out of the pool, "mission accomplished. You're officially the coolest person here."

Later, wrapped in a borrowed towel, Maya's phone buzzed. A text from Jordan: *Thanks again for the rescue. Same time next week? My cat needs to meet yours.*

Sometimes the worst moments become the best stories. And sometimes, all it takes is a little spinach, a lot of water, and one very brave cat to make everything fall into place.