First Serve, Last Nerve

The hat was ridiculous. A neon pink trucker hat that screamed 'I'm trying too hard' from across the parking lot, but Maya adjusted it anyway, checking her reflection in the car window. Her first day at Westwood High, and she'd already decided her persona was Chill New Girl Who Plays Padel.

"You're going to die," Sophie said, leaning against Maya's locker and examining her own nails. "Varsity team practices at lunch. They'll literally eat you alive."

"That's why I need you there," Maya said, though she wasn't sure if making friends with the girl who'd already gotten detention twice was the best strategy.

Maya's dog, Buster, had greeted her that morning by knocking over her backpack, sending her phone flying. The universe was clearly sending signs.

The padel courts behind the gym were crowded. A group of juniors in matching athletic wear dominated Court 1, while Maya stood near the fence with a borrowed racquet, suddenly hyper-aware of everything: her slightly too-long shorts, the way her hat kept sliding down her forehead, the fact she'd only played padel twice in her life.

"New girl?" Someone appeared beside her—a guy with messy dark hair and an easy smile. "I'm Liam. That's my sister Sophie's hat, isn't it?"

Maya felt her face burn. "She said it was lucky."

"Sophie's never worn that thing in her life," Liam laughed. "Want to hit with me? I can teach you the wall game."

They played for twenty minutes while lightning flickered on the horizon, distant and weirdly persistent. Maya was terrible at first, missing easy shots and apologizing too much, but then she stopped thinking and just moved. Her racquet connected with the ball in this perfect, satisfying crack, and suddenly she was laughing, actually laughing, with sweat dripping down her back and her hat forgotten on the bench.

"You're actually good," Liam said, sounding surprised.

The first real thunderclap made everyone look up. The sky had gone dark purple-green, the kind of color that meant grab your stuff and run. Lightning cracked directly overhead, illuminating the entire court in stark white. Everyone screamed and scattered, and Maya grabbed her hat from the bench, shoving it into her back pocket.

"My car's this way!" Liam shouted over the rain.

They ran through the downpour, soaked to the bone in seconds, and Maya found herself laughing harder than she'd laughed in months. The hat was completely ruined, her hair was plastered to her face, and she'd probably failed her first attempt at being Chill New Girl, but somehow she didn't care.

"Tomorrow?" Liam yelled through the rain. "Same time?"

"If Sophie doesn't kill me for stealing her hat," Maya yelled back.

"She won't," he grinned. "She's been trying to get rid of that thing since freshman year."