Fox on the Court

My palms were sweating so bad I could barely grip the racquet. Padel. Why did it have to be padel day in PE? Of all the sports, of all the days to make a fool of myself in front of everyone.

Fox—that's what everyone called Leo, cunning and quick-eyed—was on my team. The Leo. The guy who'd barely acknowledged my existence since I transferred to Northwood three weeks ago. His real name was Leonardo, but Fox stuck because he was slippery. You could never pin him down.

"You good, Maya?" Fox asked, flashing that grin that made half the school swoon.

"Yeah, just... warming up." I lied. My hands were practically dripping. I'd skipped breakfast too, trying to avoid another cafeteria disaster. Last week I'd spent twenty minutes walking around with spinach stuck in my braces after lunch. Someone finally told me—Jenna, the girl who sat behind me in homeroom, leaned in and whispered, "You've got a little... situation" while everyone at her table tried not to laugh.

My mom's health obsession didn't help. "Take your vitamins, Maya, you're growing!" she'd say every morning, shoving handfuls of supplements at me. I felt like a walking pharmacy half the time.

Fox served. The ball ricocheted off the back wall. I lunged for it, missed completely, and tripped over my own feet.

Someone laughed. Not Fox, though.

"You're thinking too much," he said, tossing me the ball. "Just play."

Something about his tone wasn't mocking. It was almost... kind?

"I'm not exactly athletic," I admitted.

"Neither am I," Fox shrugged. "I just fake it till I make it. Half of this"—he gestured to the court, to the crowd watching—"is just looking like you know what you're doing."

We lost the match, obviously. But as we walked off the court, Fox bumped my shoulder with his. "Same time next week, Maya?"

I could still feel the heat in my cheeks, still feel everyone watching. But for the first time since I'd moved here, I thought maybe—just maybe—I'd actually figured something out.

Sometimes the worst days ended up being the ones that changed everything.