Serving Up Authenticity

The first day of sophomore year at Oakwood Academy, Maya discovered two things: everyone played padel, and her iPhone 11 was practically a fossil.

"You're coming to the courts, right?" Riley asked, flipping her perfectly highlighted hair. She held the latest iPhone Pro Max like it was an extension of her hand.

Maya's stomach did that familiar thing — the same way it had when she'd moved to this wealthy suburb three weeks ago. "I don't really play..."

"It's fine, I'll teach you," Riley said, already turning to her friends. "We're grabbing vitamin waters after."

At the padel courts, Maya's clumsy swings sent balls flying into fences. The group's perfectly curated outfits — pastel skirts and matching visors — made her thrift-store shorts feel suddenly inadequate. She checked her cracked screen, wondering why she even bothered with Instagram anymore. Everything here was so... polished.

"Hey, you're holding the racket wrong," someone said.

Maya turned to find a guy with shaggy hair and the most exhausted-looking golden retriever she'd ever seen. The dog was sprawled on the bench behind him, completely unbothered by the chaos.

"I'm Leo," he said. "This is Buster." He gestured at the dog. "He's my emotional support animal for P.E."

She laughed. "Maya. And I think Buster's the only one here who gets it."

"Here." Leo handed her an orange. "The vitamins are mostly for show. This is actual food."

They sat on the bench, sharing the orange while Riley's group served up perfect shots and perfect laughs. Leo admitted he was on scholarship, that he missed his old public school, that sometimes he brought Buster just to feel like he belonged.

"My mom says authenticity is the new flex," Maya said, wiping orange juice from her chin.

"Your mom's onto something," Leo grinned.

When the group headed to their smoothie place, Maya stayed behind. She and Leo played sloppy padel, Buster occasionally chasing balls, until sunset painted the sky.

Her phone buzzed — an Instagram notification from Riley. Maya silenced it.

Some things were better off-camera.