The Spinach Incident

The brim of my lucky hat pulled low, I scanned the crowded pizza parlor. My third week at Antonio's and I still felt like an imposter in the apron.

"Yo, Marcus!" Jay, my coworker, tossed me a stack of pizza boxes. "Baseball team's celebrating their win. You're on table seven."

My stomach dropped. Table seven meant HER—Chloe, the varsity shortstop who sat behind me in pre-calc. The one whose ponytail swung when she laughed, the one I'd spent all semester imagining talking to without my voice cracking.

I approached the table, trying to look casual. Probably failing.

"Hey," I managed, setting down the pizzas. "Everything good over here?"

Chloe looked up, eyes sparkling. "Perfect. Thanks, Marcus."

She knew my name. MY NAME.

"So," I said, leaning against the booth like I'd seen in movies, immediately realizing I looked ridiculous. "Big win today?"

"Three home runs," she said, grinning. "Coach actually smiled. It was terrifying."

I laughed. A genuine laugh. We were CONNECTING. This was it.

"That's awesome," I said. "Hey, I was wondering—"

"Marcus!" Jay yelled from behind the counter. "Cable modem's down again. Can you reset it?"

The moment shattered. I held up a finger. "One sec."

I rushed to the back, fumbled with the router, and grabbed a slice of spinach and feta pizza while waiting for it to reboot. Nervous eating. Classic.

The cable modem flickered back to life. I smoothed my hat, checked my reflection—

Green. Between my front teeth. An entire leaf of spinach, starring in its own horror movie.

I'd been talking to Chloe with SPINACH in my teeth.

For ten minutes.

I brushed it out, my face burning. Returned to the table, prepared for laughter. For pointing. For the social execution I deserved.

Chloe was still there, still smiling.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said, something shifting inside me. "Hey, I was gonna ask—if you're not busy tomorrow, want to catch a movie?"

Her eyes widened. Then she grinned. "Actually? I'd love that."

I walked back to the counter, hat tilted back, feeling like something had changed. Maybe confidence wasn't about being perfect. Maybe it was about spinach teeth and asking anyway.

Jay high-fived me. "Smooth."

"Shut up," I said, grinning. "Just shut up."