Fox on the Court

My hair was supposed to be caramel highlights. Instead, it looked like a raccoon died on my head.

"It's not that bad," Maya lied, barely looking up from her phone.

"My mom's gonna freak. I have that padel tryout tomorrow."

The country club padel team. Where the popular kids lived. Where Fox—that's what everyone called Mikayla, because she was clever and orange-haired and somehow always got what she wanted—ruled the social hierarchy.

I'd been spying on Fox's crew all summer. From my bedroom window, I watched them hang out by the pool, their laughter carrying across the fence. They seemed like a different species. Confident. effortless. The kind of people who never got raccoon hair.

The next day, I showed up to the tryout with my hair in a messy bun, heart pounding like a bass line.

Fox was there, of course. She was wearing a pink visor and holding this ridiculous tiny dog under her arm like it was a fashion accessory.

"You're the girl from next door," she said, instead of hello.

My stomach dropped. She'd noticed me watching.

"I, uh—"

"Your dog's been in our yard again," she said. "The little brown one with the floofy tail?"

"Buster?"

"He's been hanging out with our fox," she said casually.

"Your... what?"

"An actual fox, genius. There's a den behind the tennis courts. Buster visits it every morning. I see them from my window. It's kinda adorable, actually. They just chill together. Different species, same vibe."

I blinked.

"You spy on me too?" I finally asked.

"Everyone spies on everyone," Fox shrugged. "That's how you know you exist. When people watch you."

She passed me a padel racket.

"You're terrible at hair," she said, "but you've got a killer backhand. I've been watching you practice in your driveway."

My face burned.

"You've been spying on ME?"

"Maybe." Fox grinned. "Welcome to the team, Raccoon Girl."

Later that night, I caught Buster sneaking through the fence toward the tennis courts. For the first time all summer, I didn't feel like watching from my window.

I followed him into the dark, where a pair of glowing eyes watched from the shadows.

The fox dipped its head, waiting.

"Different species," I whispered. "Same vibe."

My raccoon hair didn't matter anymore. I was exactly where I was supposed to be.