The Spinach Incident

Maya's eyes darted around the cafeteria, scanning the invisible but very real social pyramid that governed Lincoln High. At the top sat the cheerleaders and varsity jocks—gods and goddesses of the hallway ecosystem. Then came the theater kids, the smart kids, the stoners, and somewhere near the bottom, people like her: invisible, blending into the lockers.

"Yo, Earth to Maya." Jordan waved a hand in her face. "You gonna eat that pizza or just stare at it like it's your ex?"

"Sorry," Maya muttered, picking at her slice. "Just thinking about that history presentation."

She wasn't, though. She was thinking about how she'd finally worked up the courage to talk to Alex—the cute junior with the leather jacket and mysterious vibe—after school today. This was it. Her moment.

What she didn't know: that moment was about to become a legend.

Third period, Mr. Harrison's class, Alex sat two rows ahead. The classroom had that post-lunch food coma vibe—everyone half-asleep, sunlight streaming through dusty blinds. Perfect. Maya smoothed her hair, practiced her opening line in her head. She could do this.

She approached his desk, heart hammering. "Hey Alex, I was wondering—"

He turned. His eyes went wide.

Behind her, someone snorted. Then another person. Then full-blown laughter erupted through the room.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"Your teeth," Alex managed, trying not to laugh. "You've got..."

Maya's hand flew to her mouth. Her fingers brushed against something green and leafy. SPINACH. From her lunch salad. Probably been there all afternoon, broadcasting her insecurity to everyone who'd looked at her.

Her face burned so hot she thought she might actually explode right there in third period.

That night, Maya sat on her bedroom floor, her cat Mr. Whiskers nudging her hand with that judgmental look cats have. "I'm never showing my face at school again," she told him. "This is it. I'm that girl now. The spinach girl."

Mr. Whiskers purred, because cats are terrible at emotional support.

Her phone buzzed. Unknown number.

Hey, this is Alex. Feel bad about laughing today. That was messed up. Also: you were brave for coming up to me.

Maya stared at the screen. Then typed back: You think?

Totally. Also, my little sister calls me a fox because I'm "sly and annoying" so honestly, I deserved the spinach karma.

She found herself smiling. Maybe the social pyramid wasn't as solid as she thought.

Wanna get coffee Saturday? he texted.

Sure, she replied. But I'm brushing my teeth first.

Haha. Deal.

Mr. Whiskers finally rubbed against her leg, and Maya decided that maybe, just maybe, embarrassing herself was the most teenage thing she could have done. And that wasn't so bad after all.