The Orange Peel Incident

Maya pulled the beat-up denim hat lower over her eyes, trying to disappear into the cafeteria noise. Seventh period lunch was basically a social minefield, and today she was stepping right into one.

"Hey, Maya!" Chloe waved from their usual table. But she wasn't alone. Jordan—the guy Maya had been lowkey obsessing over since September—was sitting there. Actually sitting there. Peeling an orange.

Maya's stomach did that thing where it felt like it was trying to exit her body through her throat. She smoothed her vintage corduroys and made her way over, hyper-aware that her hat was probably giving her hat hair. Not cute.

"What's up, Maya?" Jordan smiled, and yep, there it was—that little dimple thing that made her knees feel like jelly.

"Not much," she managed, sliding into the seat across from him. She watched his fingers work the orange peel, the citrus scent cutting through the gross cafeteria air. He was surprisingly graceful about it, pulling off long strips of zest without making a mess.

"You want some?" he held out a wedge.

"Sure," Maya said, reaching for it. Their fingers brushed. A literal spark. Or maybe that was just static from the carpet, but she was going to choose to believe it was a spark.

She popped the orange wedge into her mouth. Sweet. Tart. Perfect.

"So," Chloe said, giving Maya That Look—the one that screamed I KNOW YOU'RE DYING INSIDE RIGHT NOW. "Jordan was just telling us about his band. They're playing at The Basement on Friday."

"You should come," Jordan said, looking right at Maya. "Bring friends. The more the merrier."

Maya's brain short-circuited. Was this an invitation? Like, a REAL invitation? Or was he just being polite? Was she supposed to read something into it, or was she overthinking everything (again)?

"I'll be there," she heard herself say. Smooth, confident Maya had somehow taken over her body.

"Cool." Jordan grinned, then switched his gaze to Chloe. "Hey, you still have my hoodie, right?"

Maya's heart squeezed. Of course. The hoodie. Because Jordan and Chloe had history. Because Chloe was pretty and confident and had never worn a denim hat to hide from social interaction.

But then Jordan looked back at Maya, that same genuine smile on his face. "And Maya—seriously, don't be a stranger. You seem cool."

She left the cafeteria walking on air. Sure, she was still just "the friend," and sure, she was wearing a hat that had definitely left a mark on her forehead. But for the first time in forever, Maya felt like maybe, just maybe, she could be more than invisible.

She caught her reflection in a hallway mirror. Adjusted the hat. Smiled.

Yeah. Friday was gonna be sick.