Fox Court Crush

The vitamin gummies clinked in Maya's backpack as we walked toward the rec center. "My mom says these'll help with growth," she said, popping two into her mouth like they were candy. I rolled my eyes but secretly wished I had her confidence - or at least her perfect hair, which somehow defied humidity and stayed in sleek waves even when we were sweating.

We were meeting the guys at the padel courts. Padel was weirdly having a moment at our school, and of course, Jake had decided he was now basically a pro. Jake, who my friends had nicknamed "the bear" because he was huge and got ridiculously protective during games, was bringing his cousin Marcus today.

"You nervous?" Maya asked, elbowing me.

"About getting my butt destroyed in padel? Obviously," I said, but we both knew what she meant. Marcus. The one with the sharp smile and the way he looked at people like he was working something out.

When we got to the courts, the guys were already there. Jake was in full bear mode, arguing about court lines with some younger kids. Marcus leaned against the fence, watching something in the trees behind the courts.

"What's he looking at?" I asked Maya.

Before she could answer, Marcus turned and saw me. His expression shifted - calculating gone, replaced by something genuine. "Hey," he said, pointing toward the woods. "There's a fox over there. I think it lives under the storage shed."

We all turned. A red fox, sleek and impossibly bright, slipped between the trees, watching us with calm, intelligent eyes.

"Cool," Jake said, losing interest immediately. "You guys gonna stand there or actually play? I'm not letting you win just 'cause you're girls."

Marcus rolled his eyes but smiled at me. "Ignore the bear," he said, and my stomach did this weird flip. "Want to be on my team?"

The fox watched us play from the edge of the woods. I messed up every serve, but every time I did, Marcus would just grin and say something like, "Almost got it - you're gonna crush me next time." And somehow, Jake being all intense and protective about the game didn't matter, and my hair was probably a disaster from running around, but Marcus kept looking at me like I was the most interesting thing on the court.

Later, as we walked back, Maya nudged me. "He likes you."

"Shut up."

"He does. He didn't stop smiling the entire game." She popped another vitamin gummy. "Told you these were good luck."

Behind us, the fox slipped back into the trees, and I found myself already planning next weekend, even though I'd absolutely, definitely get destroyed in padel again.