The Night Everything Unraveled

Maya's iPhone was at 4% when she spotted him across the room—Caleb, wearing that ridiculous orange beanie that somehow made him look effortlessly cool. The bass from the speakers thumped in her chest as she panicked. She'd left her charging cable at home. Rookie mistake.

"Hey!" Chloe appeared beside her, practically vibrating with energy. "You okay? You look like you're about to pass out."

Maya's hand flew to her mouth. "Do I have something in my teeth?"

Chloe squinted. "Um... yeah, actually. You've got—" She gestured at her own front teeth. "Spinach. From the spinach artichoke dip earlier."

Mortification washed over Maya like a tidal wave. She'd been smiling at Caleb ALL NIGHT with green stuff in her teeth. This was it. This was how her social life ended. Not with a bang, but with a piece of spinach.

She bolted for the bathroom, phone clutched in her hand like it could somehow save her from this nightmare. But as she rounded the corner, her phone died. Screen went black. No cable. No life. No way to escape the bathroom and face everyone knowing she'd been walking around with spinach in her teeth like some sort of vegetable monster.

A soft knock on the bathroom door. "Maya?"

Caleb's voice.

She cracked the door open, face burning.

He held out an orange charging cable—his spare. "I saw your phone died earlier. Figured you might need this."

Maya stared at him, then down at the cable, then back at him. "You... you carry a spare cable to parties?"

Caleb shrugged, that crooked smile appearing. "Only since I met someone who always forgets hers."

Her heart did this actual flutter thing. "Wait—are you talking about—"

"From English class? Yeah." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Also, for what it's worth? The spinach made you look cute. Like, endearingly disaster-prone cute."

Maya laughed. She couldn't help it. This night was ridiculous.

"Plug in your phone, Maya," Caleb said, gesturing with the cable. "I'll wait. Then maybe we can properly hang out? Without the vegetable accessories?"

She took the cable, their fingers brushing. Sometimes the worst moments led to the best ones. Who knew?