Three Strikes at Being Cool

The papaya sat on the kitchen counter like an alien artifact my mom had brought home from the international market. 'It's exotic,' she'd said, like that was supposed to make me want to eat it for breakfast.

I grabbed it anyway because I was running late, and throwing random fruit into my backpack was basically my personality at this point. If anyone asked, I'd tell them it was part of my new health journey or whatever.

Marcus was already at the baseball field when I rolled up, sitting on the bleachers with his glove in his lap like he was actually going to play. Marcus, who thought he could pitch but mostly just hit batters. Marcus, my best friend since sixth grade, before he got his growth spurt and I stayed the same height, and suddenly the social dynamic got weird.

'You coming to the party tonight?' he asked, not looking up from his phone. 'Everyone's gonna be there.'

'Maybe.' I shifted my weight. 'Who's everyone?'

'You know. Everyone.' He said it casually, but we both knew what he meant. The cool everyone. The people who'd somehow transformed over the summer while I was busy playing video games and existing.

Then Riley's dog came out of nowhere—a chaotic golden retriever that belonged to the varsity captain—and somehow my backpack zipper had failed, and suddenly the papaya was rolling across the dirt. The dog, sensing opportunity, went for it.

'Is that a papaya?' Marcus asked, finally looking at me.

'The dog is eating it,' I said, watching helplessly as the fruit got destroyed. The dog seemed genuinely thrilled about its life choices.

Marcus started laughing. Not mean laughing, but actual laughing, the kind I hadn't heard in months. 'That's the most unhinged thing I've ever seen.'

'Riley's dog is eating my breakfast,' I said, and then I was laughing too, because what even was this moment.

'You're weird, man,' Marcus said, bumping my shoulder with his. 'Come to the party. Don't bring any fruit.'

The papaya was gone. The baseball game was starting. And somehow, for the first time in a while, things felt okay again.