Thunder and Spinach Smiles

Maya's palms were sweating so bad she could practically water plants with them. Three minutes until Jason would walk through the door, and she was definitely not ready.

"Your hair looks insane," Zara said, adjusting a curl that refused to cooperate. "Like, in a good way. But also maybe we should've gone with the half-up thing?"

"Too late now." Maya checked her reflection for the thousandth time. "I look like I'm trying too hard."

"You look cute. He's gonna love it."

Zara was the kind of friend who'd hype you up even when you were having a crisis over whether you picked the right outfit. Which Maya absolutely was.

The party was already loud when they arrived, bass thumping through the floorboards. Maya spotted Jason immediately—standing near the snacks, laughing at something his friend said. Her stomach did that awful-flippy thing it did whenever he was near.

"Go talk to him," Zara whispered. "I'll grab us drinks."

Maya made her way over, heart hammering. "Hey!"

"Maya!" Jason's face lit up. "You came."

Outside, lightning split the sky, illuminating the whole room in a flash. Everyone oohed like it was a fireworks show.

"Storm's crazy tonight," he said. "Wanna go to the porch? It's kinda stuffy in here."

They sat on the swing as rain started coming down, the air thick with that before-rain smell. Jason was saying something about his history project when he suddenly stopped.

"What?" Maya asked.

"You have..." He gestured at his own teeth. "Spinach. From the snacks earlier."

Maya wanted to die. Actually die. She'd had spinach in her teeth the entire conversation.

"How long?" she groaned, covering her mouth.

"Since you walked over." He grinned. "I didn't know how to say it without being weird."

"You failed," she laughed through her hands. "This is the weirdest thing that's ever happened to me."

"Probably." He bumped her shoulder with his. "But also kind of perfect?"

Another flash of lightning. In that split second of brightness, Maya saw him looking at her—really looking at her, spinach and all—and she knew he was right.

Somehow, this ridiculously awkward moment was exactly what she needed.