Market Volatility

Marcus's dad was in his bullish era, which unfortunately meant Marcus was too.

"Padel is the fastest-growing sport," his dad announced in the car, crypto podcast blasting. "It's gonna be bigger than tennis. This is an early adopter play, son."

Marcus stared at the racquet in his lap. He was fifteen, freshly transferred to Northwood High where everyone already had their squads locked in, and now he was being forced to learn some Spanish tennis hybrid because his dad read about it on Reddit.

The padel courts were behind the community center, pressed up against the woods. That's where he saw her—Chloe from his history class, hitting against a backboard with headphones on. She was alone, focused, her backhand crisp in the humid evening air.

"You gonna stand there bullshitting or actually play?" she called, pulling off her headphones.

Marcus's face burned. "I—I didn't know you played."

"My mom's Argentine," she said, tossing him a ball. "It's basically part of the culture. You're new, right? Saw you in Mr. Harrison's class looking lost."

That was how it started—padel sessions twice a week, Chloe teaching him the angles, the way the ball spun off the glass walls. Marcus's dad was ecstatic ("Networking! Genius move!") but Marcus just liked how Chloe laughed when he missed easy shots, how she called him a "bear market" when he got in his head about his serve.

"You're overthinking," she'd say, tapping her temple. "Play bearish. Play safe. Get it back."

The Friday before homecoming, Marcus served for the first time all night. Chloe returned it beautifully, a perfect forehand that kissed the line.

"Your dad's obsessed with crypto, right?" she asked as they gathered balls. "I saw his Twitter in the school group chat when you were showing that meme to Jason."

Marcus groaned. "It's embarrassing."

"It's kind of endearing though," she said, and then—"You want to go to homecoming together?"

Later that night, his dad asked how padel was going. "Bullish," Marcus said, unable to stop grinning. "Actually really bullish."

His fist bumped the ceiling. "I knew it! Those courts are gonna be valuable real estate some—"

"Not that, Dad," Marcus said, and didn't elaborate. Some investments you kept to yourself.