Fox Courts & Last Summers

The padel court smelled like rubber and possibility. Maya stood there, racket in hand, watching every other pair of friends high-five and laugh. Being the new girl at sixteen felt like walking into a movie mid-scene — everyone else knew the script.

"You gonna stand there all day or actually play?"

Maya turned to see a girl with messy braids and knowing eyes. That was Riley, who would become her first real friend here.

"I'm Maya," she said, trying to sound casual. "And I was definitely about to play."

Riley laughed. "Sure you were. Come on, I'll show you the basics. You play like a scared fox, all twitchy and waiting for something to pounce."

"That's specific,"

"I observe. It's what I do."

They played until sweat dripped down Maya's back and her lungs burned. For the first time all summer, she forgot about being the new girl.

After, they sat on the edge of the court, sharing Riley's emergency stash of vitamin gummies because they were "technically healthy" and "definitely better than dehydration."

"So," Riley said, popping a cherry one. "You holding up okay?"

Maya shrugged. "Yeah. It's just... starting over sucks. My old friends and I had this whole thing. Inside jokes, shared history, the works. Now I'm just... here."

"I feel you," Riley said. "Moving schools is like getting dropped in the woods with a map you can't read. You're gonna see a bear before you find your way back."

Maya laughed. "That's oddly specific."

"My dad's big on nature metaphors. Also on camping trips where I almost saw actual bears, so."

"What happened?"

"We heard something in the bushes and my dad made us bolt to the car at midnight. I left behind my favorite hoodie. Bear probably wore it better anyway."

"Riley, that's literally the most suburban trauma story I've ever heard."

"Hey! Emotional scars still count!"

They looked at each other and dissolved into giggles, the kind that make your stomach hurt and feel full at the same time.

"You know," Maya said, "this wasn't how I thought my first week would go. In a good way."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I thought I'd be eating lunch alone until winter break."

Riley bumped her shoulder. "Welcome to the club, president. Membership dues: one pack of vitamin gummies, unlimited terrible jokes, and being my partner for padel every Friday until we graduate."

"Deal," Maya said, and for the first time in months, she didn't feel like someone trying to fit into someone else's life. She was just here, racket in hand, friend by her side, ready to play.