Court Rules

Maya's hair had been perfect—shiny, straight, falling just right—until thirty seconds before tryouts when a gust of wind ruined everything. Now she looked like she'd stuck her finger in an electrical socket, which was basically the whole story of her life.

"You're up," called Jordan, senior captain and absolute ruler of the social pyramid at Crestwood High. He stood near the net of the padel court like he owned it, which technically his dad did. The whole club did. That's how things worked here.

Maya's hands shook. She'd only played padel twice in her life, watching YouTube tutorials at 2 AM while her parents slept, determined to climb out of invisible middle school. This was supposed to be her fresh start.

The cable holding the net sagged slightly on one end. She focused on that instead of Jordan's cool stare or the three seniors whispering by the fence. How had she let Kayla talk her into this?

"So," Jordan said, spinning his racket casually, "you ever actually played, or just trying to embarrass yourself?"

Maya's face burned. Around the court, the social pyramid loomed: athletes at top, then normal kids, then everyone else. She was currently somewhere in the basement. But here's the thing about pyramids—they're unstable if you kick them hard enough.

She gripped her racket.

"Watch me."

Jordan served. The ball came at her like it had personal issues. Maya's body moved before her brain could overthink it. She returned it with a solid thwack against the back glass, exactly like the tutorials said. Jordan's eyebrows went up.

They played for ten minutes. Maya missed shots, her hair kept falling in her eyes, she tripped over her own feet twice. But she also made Jordan dive for a ball he thought he'd own. She made him work.

"Not terrible," he said afterward, actually breathing hard.

The seniors by the fence had stopped whispering. Kayla was filming.

"Practice tomorrow at four," Jordan said, already turning away. "Don't be late. And fix your hair."

Maya touched her mess of curls and smiled. She'd figure out the hair situation. But the pyramid? Yeah, she was climbing.