The Smoothie Sacrifice

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, inspecting the monster that had erupted on my chin overnight. Of course this would happen the day of Homecoming. The universe had a twisted sense of humor like that.

My best friend since kindergarten, Jaylen, burst into my room without knocking—per usual. He was already in his suit, tie undone, holding his phone like it was a lifeline.

"Bro, you ready? The girls are meeting us at the gym in thirty."

I gestured at my face. "Does this look ready to you?"

Jaylen squinted. "That's... not ideal. But you can't bail, man. Maya's gonna be there."

Maya. The girl I'd been lowkey crushing on since biology lab last month, when she'd helped me identify slides while making fun of my handwriting. This was my chance to actually talk to her outside of school.

"Hold up." Jaylen's fingers flew across his screen. "My cousin says ice reduces swelling. But also, my mom makes this smoothie with spinach that's supposed to be like, magic for skin."

"Spinach? I'm not drinking your mom's salad water, Jaylen."

"Bro, it's got vitamin C and whatever. She says it clears up everything." He was already dragging me toward the kitchen. "Unless you want Maya to see you looking like you went three rounds in the ring."

Fine. I drank the suspiciously green sludge while Jaylen's mom watched, nodding like she'd just initiated me into some secret society. We grabbed our stuff and started running toward school—because apparently, in Jaylen's world, being fashionably late meant being physically fit.

"Why are we literally running to a dance?" I panted, clutching my stomach.

"Exercise releases endorphins! Confidence, bro!"

My phone buzzed in my pocket. A text from Maya: hey! u coming? sarah's looking for jaylen ;)

"She's there," I gasped. "She's asking about us."

Jaylen grinned as we slowed to a walk in front of the gym entrance. "See? Endorphins working already. And look—" He pointed at my reflection in the gym doors. "The swelling actually went down."

I looked. The monster had shrunk to a baby pimple. Barely visible.

"Your mom's smoothie... actually worked?"

"Don't get used to it." He slapped my back. "Now let's go find your girl before I change my mind about wingmanning you while looking like a sweaty mess."

But as we walked inside, Maya immediately spotted us and waved, and I thought maybe—just maybe—the universe wasn't totally against me after all.

Even if I did have spinach in my teeth.