Court Against the Sky

The papaya sat on Maya's kitchen counter, its skin freckled with yellow, like something deciding whether to ripen or rot. Same as everything lately.

"You still play?" Elena asked, leaning against the counter. They hadn't spoken since the funeral — six months of swallowed words and heavy silences.

"Padel. Tuesdays. It's something." Maya sliced through the fruit's flesh, revealing the orange-black seeds inside. "You?"

"I swim. Lake Michigan. Even in winter."

Maya looked at her then — really looked. The friend who'd held her hair back when she was sick, who'd talked her through her divorce, who'd disappeared without explanation when Maya needed her most. Elena's eyes held that same stubborn quality she'd always had, like a bull that wouldn't be corralled.

"Why didn't you call?" The question came out sharper than intended.

Elena's shoulders dropped. "I couldn't be the friend you needed. Not with him still in your life."

"Him? You mean Mark? He's been gone for years."

"No. The man you report to. The one who calls you at midnight. Who tells you to wear the red dress."

Maya's knife paused. The papaya's juice ran down her wrist. She'd never told anyone about the messages, the "professional development" drinks that lasted until closing time, the way her stomach turned every time her boss's door clicked shut.

"How did you know?"

"I saw the way you looked at your phone. Like it might bite." Elena stepped closer. "I couldn't watch it happen again. Not after what your father put your mother through."

The realization hit like cold water. Elena hadn't abandoned her. She'd been protecting herself from the familiar pattern, the sick cycle of looking away.

"I'm seeing a lawyer next week," Maya said. "For the harassment case."

Elena's hand covered hers on the counter. "Good. Now — you still up for a match?"

"You play padel?"

"Terribly. But I've been told my backhand needs work."

Outside, the sun reflected off the court surface, blinding and bright. For the first time in months, Maya didn't feel like she was drowning.