The Spinach Incident

Maya's palms were sweating so hard she could practically water plants with them. She gripped her iPhone like a lifeline, doomscrolling through TikTok to avoid eye contact with anyone at Tyler's house party.

"You good?" Tyler appeared beside her, holding a red Solo cup. "You look like you're gonna hurl."

"I'm chill," Maya lied, her voice cracking slightly. "Just... vibing."

"Sure you are." He grinned. "Wanna play beer pong? I need a partner who doesn't suck."

Maya's stomach did a backflip. This was it — her chance to finally talk to Tyler without looking like a total loser. They'd been orbiting each other since sophomore year, caught in that exhausting "are they or aren't they" dance that everyone hates but nobody knows how to escape.

"Bet," she said, trying to sound confident. "But I'm warning you, I'm secretly a beast."

"Big talk for someone who's been hiding in the corner all night," Tyler teased, leading her toward the makeshift beer pong table in the kitchen.

The game was chaos. Someone's older brother had rigged up a speaker system blasting music that vibrated through the floor. Kids were crowded around, phones out, recording everything like it was content for their future famous channels.

Maya actually wasn't terrible at beer pong — she'd spent way too much time practicing with her cousin last summer. She and Tyler were neck and neck with this other pair, some juniors who were definitely taking it way too seriously.

"Final cup," Tyler said, lining up his shot. "If I make this, we win. If I miss, they get redemption shots."

He tossed the ping pong ball. It arced beautifully, almost in slow motion, and — **splash**. Perfect shot.

"YEAH!" Tyler yelled, high-fiving Maya. His hand lingered on hers for just a second too long, and Maya's heart skipped like a scratched CD.

But then his face changed. He was looking at her mouth, trying not to laugh.

"What?" Maya asked, suddenly self-conscious.

"You've got..." He pointed. "Spinach. In your teeth. Like, a lot."

Maya's face burned. She'd eaten spinach artichoke dip earlier, obviously. And now, in front of everyone, just as Tyler finally seemed to be noticing her...

Some junior girl laughed. "Damn Maya, going green for the environment?"

Maya wanted to dissolve. She grabbed her phone, ready to fake an emergency and bolt.

But Tyler stepped in front of her. "Chill, she's good. It's called being environmentally conscious, look it up." He turned to Maya. "Come outside, I've got gum."

On the porch, away from the noise and phone lights, Maya scrubbed her teeth with Trident while Tyler sat on the railing, swinging his legs.

"Sorry about that," she mumbled. "That was humiliating."

"Eh, whatever." He shrugged. "At least you're not like Jason, who threw up all over the couch last homecoming. Now THAT was embarrassing."

Maya laughed. "Fair."

"Besides," Tyler said, hopping down, "I was gonna ask if you wanted to get food tomorrow anyway. Now I know you like spinach. Good intel."

Maya looked up, and Tyler was actually smiling — not laughing at her, but with her. The porch light caught the gold flecks in his eyes.

"I do like spinach," she said. "And I'd love to get food."

"Bet. Pick you up at seven?"

"You're on."

Inside, Maya's phone buzzed with notifications. Someone had already posted a TikTok captioned "spinach girl strikes again" with like 200 views. She rolled her eyes and put it on silent.

Some things were more important than likes. And tomorrow, she'd make sure to check her reflection before leaving the house. Probably.