Goldfish and the Riddle Court

Marcus stood at the edge of the padel court, clutching his borrowed racquet like it might bite him. The invitation had seemed like a prank at first—him, the guy who once tripped over his own feet during gym class, playing in the summer tournament? But Lila had asked him to fill in for her partner who'd come down with food poisoning, and Marcus wasn't exactly in a position to say no to the girl who'd been occupying his thoughts since seventh period English.

His only confidant in this whole mess was Neptune, his pet goldfish back home. Marcus had spent last night practicing his serve in front of Neptune's bowl, narrating his anxieties to a fish that mostly just opened and closed its mouth in what he hoped was encouragement.

"You ready, mystery boy?" Lila called from across the court, flipping her ponytail like it was second nature. Marcus waved, trying to look casual and probably failing.

Their opponents were twins named Chloe and Zoe, known collectively as "The Sphinx" around school—beautiful, inscrutable, and seemingly impossible to defeat at anything. They moved in synchronized patterns, each shot perfectly calculated. Marcus felt like he was swimming through molasses, his reflexes slow and clumsy.

"You're overthinking," Lila murmured during a break, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Just hit the ball, Marcus. You're actually good when you stop caring so much."

The next game, something shifted. Marcus stopped worrying about looking ridiculous and started actually playing. He dove for a ball that should've been impossible, his racquet connecting with a satisfying *thwack* as it sailed past Chloe's outstretched arm. Lila whooped, grabbing his hand for a quick high-five that made his stomach do backflips.

They lost the match, but barely. As they walked to the parking lot afterward, Lila nudged his shoulder. "Same partner next week? Neptune's gonna need some new stories."

Marcus grinned so hard his face hurt. "You know about Neptune?"

"Everyone knows about Neptune, dumbass," she laughed, and for the first time in his life, Marcus didn't feel like the guy tripping over his own feet. He felt like someone who might actually be exactly where he was supposed to be.