The Spinach Incident

Marcus's lucky hat was crumpled in his fist as he stared at the pool party. All the cool kids were there, including Jasmine, who'd actually smiled at him in chemistry on Friday.

His mom had forced the spinach smoothie on him that morning. "It's packed with iron, honey! You're growing like a weed!" She'd also made him take his vitamin D gummy right in front of everyone at the breakfast table, saying something about his complexion looking pasty. Thanks, Mom.

Now he stood at the edge of the diving board, clutching his hat like a security blanket. Tyler, the self-appointed king of sophomore year, was down below, heckling everyone who jumped.

"What's the matter, Marcus? Your hat afraid of water?" Tyler hooted. A ripple of laughter went through the crowd. Jasmine was watching.

Marcus's face burned. He could just chicken out. Climb back down the ladder. Let Tyler think he was scared.

Then he remembered his dad's voice from last summer: "You can't let people push you around, son. Sometimes you gotta be bull-headed about what matters."

What mattered was not letting Tyler make him feel small. Not letting his mom's embarrassing smoothie moment define his whole day.

Marcus dropped his hat on the diving board. Backed up. Ran. Launched himself into a perfect cannonball that soaked Tyler completely.

The silence was golden. Then Jasmine started clapping. Then everyone else.

"Showed him," she said, when Marcus surfaced, treading water and grinning like an idiot.

Later, sitting on the pool edge with his feet in the water, Jasmine beside him eating a spinach salad from the snack bar, Marcus realized something. Being yourself—even when yourself is the guy whose mom makes him drink green smoothies and take vitamins in front of everyone—was way better than trying to be cool.

"Hey," Jasmine said, "you want some? It's actually pretty good."

Marcus laughed. He put his hat back on, dripping wet and completely uncool. And for the first time all day, he didn't care who saw him.