The Papaya Incident

Maya's hair was supposed to be sleek and intentional, the kind of effortless cascade that said 'I woke up like this' but actually took forty minutes and three different styling products. Instead, it was currently defying gravity in eight different directions, thanks to the humidity at Jessica's house party and her own nervous sweat.

She'd been strategically positioned behind a potted plant for twenty minutes, spying on Kai from across the room while pretending to be deeply interested in a bowl of chips. This was fine. This was normal. This was exactly what confident, socially adjusted teenagers did at parties.

"Hey, you're Maya from English, right?"

Maya jumped, sending chips cascading everywhere. Kai was standing there. Actual Kai, with his perfect everything and smile that should be illegal. Her brain went completely blank, which was unfortunate because her mouth chose that moment to say, "I like your... face."

Kai laughed, but like, in a nice way. "Thanks? I like yours too. You gonna eat that papaya?" He pointed at the fruit platter she'd been aggressively not making eye contact with.

"Oh, yeah, papaya. Love it. Huge fan." Maya had never eaten papaya in her life. She picked up a piece, and in her attempt to look casual and papaya-experienced, somehow managed to squeeze it so hard that juice shot directly onto her white shirt.

They stood there for approximately three thousand years while Maya's soul left her body.

"You've got a little—" Kai gestured to his own teeth, grinning.

Maya's hand flew to her mouth. Spinach. From the dip. She'd been walking around with spinach in her teeth while spying on him for twenty minutes.

"Actually," Kai said, rubbing the back of his neck, "I think it's kinda... endearing? Like, you're not trying to be perfect at this party. You're just out here having papaya accidents and owning it."

Maya's hair was still a mess. Her shirt was stained. She had spinach in her teeth. But Kai was still standing there, looking at her like she was something worth noticing.

"So," he said, "wanna get some air? My friend's dad just got a telescope, and Jupiter's supposed to be visible tonight."

Maya grinned. "Only if you promise not to let me near any more fruit."

"Deal." He held out his hand. "But I can't promise anything about the spinach."

Somehow, that was okay.