Orange Slice at Match Point

The afternoon heat radiated off the padel court as Maya squeezed her grip tighter. Her phone buzzed in her bag—another group chat blowing up about Jordan's party tonight that she wasn't sure she wanted to attend.

"You good, Maya?" called Tasha from across the net. They'd been best friends since seventh grade, back when Maya's biggest worry was whether her bangs looked even.

"Yeah, just..." Maya wiped sweat from her forehead. "Heat's getting to me."

"Break!" Tasha trotted over, handing her a water bottle. "You've been off your game all day. Spill."

Maya chugged, the cold water shocking her system. "It's Jordan's party. Everyone's gonna be there."

"So?" Tasha raised an eyebrow. "You've been to like, a hundred parties."

"Not without Ethan." The name hung between them. Ethan, who'd ghosted after two months of whatever that was. Ethan, who would definitely be at Jordan's tonight.

Tasha's expression softened. "Oh. That."

"I know, I know, it's pathetic." Maya dug into her bag for her emergency snack—an orange she'd grabbed from the kitchen counter. "We literally went on like, four dates. Why does it feel like this huge thing?"

"Because you're human, dummy." Tasha leaned against the fence. "Also, he was kinda obsessed with you. No cap."

Maya peeled the orange, citrus scent cutting through the court's rubber smell. "Then why'd he just... stop texting?"

"Maybe he's intimidated. You're literally killing it in school, you're amazing at padel—" Tasha gestured to the court "—and you don't take anyone's crap. Some guys can't handle that."

A jagged crack of lightning split the sky, followed instantly by thunder that vibrated in Maya's chest.

"Well, that's our cue," Tasha laughed as the first heavy drops began to fall. "Rain check?"

Maya watched the water transform the court into a kaleidoscope of reflected gray. Something shifted in her chest—not a lightning strike, exactly. More like... clarity.

"Actually," she said, surprising herself, "let's still go to Jordan's."

"Really?" Tasha grinned. "You're not gonna wallow?"

"Nope." Maya took a bite of the orange, bright and sharp against her tongue. "If Ethan's intimidated, that's his problem. I'm done making it mine."

Tasha bumped her shoulder. "There she is. Friend, you are absolutely going to crush it tonight."