Serving Up Lightning

Maya's palms were sweating so hard she could barely grip her padel racket. Tryouts for the varsity team were in twenty minutes, and she was freaking out.

"You good, Maya?" Chen asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet like she'd had three espresso shots instead of whatever vitamin supplement her mom made her take this morning.

"Yeah. Just nervous," Maya lied, adjusting her ponytail for the third time.

Across the court, Sasha—aka The Fox because she could outsmart anyone on the court—was warming up with her signature smirk. Sasha had been playing padel since she could walk, and everyone knew she was a shoo-in for captain. Maya was just... trying not to embarrass herself.

Then something moved near the fence. A calico cat, thin as a rail with one ear notched from a fight, slunk through the gap in the chainlink. It sat there, watching them with judgment in its yellow eyes.

"That cat's been showing up all week," Sasha called out, somehow still looking effortless while everyone else was stressing. "My friends and I named him Queso. He's basically our mascot now."

Maya's stomach did that thing where it felt like a small animal was trying to escape. Of course Sasha knew the cat's name. Of course Sasha had friends who collectively named stray animals. Some people just moved through life like everything was their personal playground.

The sky darkened. Thunder rumbled in the distance, low and warning.

"Coach is gonna call it," Chen said, sounding disappointed.

"One more match!" Coach Torres yelled. "Maya, you're up against Sasha. Let's see what you've got."

Great. Perfect. Just what she needed—getting absolutely destroyed by The Fox in front of everyone.

But then lightning cracked across the sky, so bright it left spots in Maya's vision. Rain started falling, big fat drops that turned the court into a slick mirror.

"Everyone inside! Now!"

As they scrambled toward the covered area, Maya noticed something. Sasha wasn't running. She was helping the cat. Trying to coax it under cover before the storm really hit.

"You coming?" Maya called, stopping.

Sasha looked up, water plastering her hair to her forehead. "He's scared. Won't budge."

Maya didn't think. She just ran back, grabbed the leftover sandwich from her bag, and held it out. The cat's nose twitched. One cautious step. Another. Until it was close enough for Sasha to scoop him up.

They stood there for a second, both soaked, both holding this random cat like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"You're actually pretty good," Sasha said, like it was something she'd been thinking for a while. "At padel, I mean. Not just cat-rescue missions."

"Yeah right. You were about to crush me."

"Maybe." Sasha shrugged. "But you've got this crazy reflex thing. Like lightning." She smiled, and it wasn't her smirk. It was real. "Tomorrow? You're going against me. Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you saved my mascot."

Maya grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it."