The Spinach Incident

Maya's vintage Dodgers baseball hat sat three inches back on her head—the perfect tilt she'd practiced in her mirror for twenty minutes before leaving the house. It was her armor. Her confidence booster. Her way of saying, 'I belong here' without actually having to speak.

Here being Jordan's end-of-school-year party, which every single sophomore was attending. Including Tyler. Tyler, who somehow made even standing against a wall look effortless. Tyler, who'd definitely notice if she spent the whole night hiding behind the snack table like she had at homecoming.

Her best friend Chloe grabbed her arm. 'You good? You look like you're about to throw up.'

'I'm fine,' Maya lied, adjusting her hat for the thirtieth time. 'Just... socially hydrating.'

'You've been nursing the same Sprite for an hour. Talk to him.'

'Talk to who?'

'Oh my god, don't play dumb. Tyler's literally looking at you right now.'

Maya's stomach did something unhelpful. She turned—and locked eyes with Tyler across the room. He smiled. He actually smiled. And then—

'BARK!'

Jordan's elderly golden retriever, Barnaby, who'd been sleeping peacefully in the corner, suddenly decided this was his moment to shine. He launched himself at Maya with surprising velocity, sending her stumbling backward into the snack table. Her baseball hat flew off. Her Sprite went everywhere. And somehow, impossibly, she ended up with a serving spoonful of spinach artichoke dip plastered across her cheek.

The room went dead silent.

Then Tyler was there. 'Whoa, you okay?' He was actually laughing, but not in a mean way. In a 'this is objectively hilarious' way.

'My hat,' she managed. 'And also, apparently, I'm wearing spinach now.'

'You know what's funny?' Tyler said, reaching for a napkin. 'I was literally about to come over and say hi, but I didn't know how to start. Guess the dog broke the ice for me.'

'Maybe we should thank him,' Maya said, wiping her face. 'Minus the hat casualty.'

'This?' Tyler picked up her Dodgers hat, now slightly dusted with dog hair. 'Nah, it's got character now. Like you.'

'Was that a line?'

'Maybe.' He grinned. 'Did it work?'

'Maybe.' Maya adjusted her spinach-speckled hat to a different angle. A better one. 'So. You're not gonna ask about the artichoke chunk in my hair?'