Serves and Screens

Maya's thumbs hovered over her iPhone screen, the glow illuminating her face in the dark bedroom. Three messages sent. Zero replies. Again.

"Literally dying here," she muttered, tossing the phone onto her bed like it had personally offended her.

Her best friend Sarah had been MIA all week, and Maya knew exactly why. Padel. The sport had taken over their school like aggressive kudzu, suddenly making everyone think they were athletic royalty. Sarah, who'd never touched a racquet in her life, was now spending every afternoon at the community courts with the popular crowd.

So Maya did what any rational person would do at 7 PM on a Tuesday: she grabbed her hoodie and marched to the community center like she was on a mission.

The indoor courts echoed with laughter and the distinctive *pok-pok* of balls hitting walls. Through the glass partition, Maya spotted Sarah immediately — laughing with perfect hair, holding court like she'd been queen of padel since kindergarten.

Sarah's face lit up when she saw Maya, then instantly shifted to something guarded. "Hey! What's up?"

"You've been blowing me off all week," Maya said, her voice echoing in the sudden quiet of the entrance area. "Seriously? You're too cool for me now?"

Sarah's friends went silent. One of them whispered something to another, and they both giggled.

"It's not like that —" Sarah started.

"Then what's it like? Because the ghosting routine? Not cute."

Sarah's expression crumbled. Behind her, someone coughed awkwardly.

"They were making fun of you," she said quietly. "Saying you'd never understand padel, that you were too unathletic, and I... I didn't know how to stand up for you without making it weird."

The words hit Maya like a bucket of ice water.

"So you just went along with it?"

"I was scared, okay?" Sarah's voice cracked. "I finally fit in somewhere and I didn't want to mess it up, but every time they said something about you, it felt awful. Like I was betraying you."

The vulnerability in Sarah's voice caught Maya off guard. This wasn't about popularity — it was about the same fear they'd both navigated a thousand times before.

"You're an idiot," Maya said, but her voice softened. "Real friends don't make you choose between them and being cool."

"I know." Sarah looked at her padel racquet, then back at Maya. "I told them off. Like, five minutes ago. Told them if they couldn't respect you, they couldn't have me either."

Maya's eyebrows shot up. "For real?"

"For real. That's why they're being weird." Sarah managed a small smile. "So... you still want to learn padel? Because I'm honestly terrible at it, but I could use a partner who doesn't judge my terrible aim."

Maya felt something in her chest loosen, the tension of the week finally melting away.

"Okay, but full disclosure? I'm going to be terrible at it too."

"Perfect." Sarah's grin was genuine now. "We can be terrible together."

"Deal. But first?" Maya pulled out her iPhone. "We're taking a selfie. Proof that you're still my friend even after your brief popularity phase."

Sarah laughed, and the sound was exactly what Maya needed to hear.