When the Bull Charged Lunch

I felt like a **zombie** walking into the cafeteria—three hours of sleep will do that to you. AP Bio was absolutely brutal with that surprise lab report, and now I had to survive the social minefield that was Tuesday lunch.

Maya was already at our usual table, aggressively dissecting a **papaya** with surgical precision. "Have you guys noticed how Lucas is practically glowing lately?" she whispered, practically vibrating with gossip energy. "I heard he made varsity football."

"No way," I said, grabbing a seat. "Lucas? The guy who tripped over his own backpack yesterday?"

"Apparently he's been secretly working out all summer. The coaches called him a straight-up **bull** on the field during tryouts." Maya paused dramatically. "So, are you gonna talk to him?"

I almost choked on my **orange** juice. "What? No. Absolutely not."

"Come ON, Lena. You've had a crush on him since seventh grade. This is your moment!"

Before I could defend my dignity (or lack thereof), I spotted something absolutely horrifying in the reflection of my water bottle. A massive, undeniable chunk of **spinach** wedged between my front teeth. From lunch yesterday.

"How long has that been there?!" I hissed, frantically trying to dislodge it with my tongue.

Maya burst out laughing. "Since probably yesterday. Oh my god, this explains SO much about why Lucas practically ran away from you at the game Friday."

I wanted to die. Actually die. Spinach-in-teeth levels of embarrassment were my personal Kryptonite.

"It's fine," Maya gasped between laughs. "Here he comes NOW."

Lucas walked by our table, looking disturbingly cute with his varsity jacket and newfound confidence. He stopped. "Hey, Lena, right?"

I smiled, remembered the spinach at the last second, and immediately covered my mouth with a muffled "Mmhmm."

"Cool," he said, backing away slowly. "I'll, uh, see you around."

As soon as he was gone, Maya practically fell out of her chair laughing. "You're going to survive middle school, Lena. Eventually."