Lightning Strikes the Padel Court

Maya pressed herself against the chain-link fence, heart doing that stupid fluttery thing it always did when Lucas was anywhere within a fifty-foot radius. She felt like a total creeper—basically a low-key **spy** lurking behind the storage shed during the **padel** tournament—but whatever. At least she wasn't Bridget, who'd literally asked Lucas if he needed a "hydration specialist" while holding out a Gatorade like she was presenting Excalibur.

The sky was doing that weird purple-green thing that meant serious summer storm incoming, but nobody else seemed to care. The popular kids were all at the courts, being effortlessly perfect and making the rest of them look like NPCs in their own lives.

A rustle in the bushes behind her made Maya jump. A red **fox** slipped through the gap in the fence, tail flicking like it owned the place. It paused, amber eyes locking with hers, and Maya swore it looked unimpressed.

"Yeah, I know," she whispered. "I'm being weird."

The fox vanished toward the courts just as Lucas served. He missed, ball slamming into the fence like it had personally offended him. Someone yelled something about his form, and Lucas—golden boy, undefeated padel champion—actually looked frustrated for once.

**Lightning** cracked across the sky, sudden and blinding. Everyone screamed. The lights over the courts flickered and died.

Maya could've run. Could've gone back to being invisible. But something about the chaos, the way everyone was equally confused and clueless for once... it made her brave.

"Hey!" she called, stepping out from behind the shed. "You're gripping the racket too tight!"

Lucas turned. In the weird half-light, he couldn't tell she was the weirdo who'd been spying instead of participating.

"What?"

"Your grip!" Maya's voice came out stronger than she felt. "My brother plays. You're overthinking because you're scared you'll choke. Just hit it."

**Lightning** flashed again. For three seconds, the world went white.

When Maya could see again, Lucas was grinning at her through the dark. "You coming to show me how it's done, then?"

Maya's stomach did that stupid fluttery thing again. But this time, she didn't hide behind a storage shed.

"Yeah," she said. "Yeah, I am."