Spinach and Second Serves

Mateo stood at the edge of the padel court, clutching his phone like it was his only friend. The screen reflected his nervous expression—groups of kids his age laughing, posting, living their best lives while he lurked on the sidelines.

"You gonna stand there all day or actually play?" called Jake, the guy who'd somehow appointed himself team captain despite having zero actual authority.

Mateo shoved his iphone into his pocket. He'd never played padel before—his family was more of a "soccer and existential dread" kind of household—but somehow he'd let Kayla talk him into joining the summer league. Mostly because Kayla was Kayla, with her effortless smiles and the way she somehow made even gym shorts look like a fashion statement.

The game was chaos. Mateo missed his first serve entirely. The ball ricocheted off his racket frame and landed somewhere in the bushes.

"My bad," he muttered, face burning.

"It's cool," Kayla said, appearing beside him. "Everybody sucks their first time."

After the match—predictable disaster—the group headed to the smoothie place. Mateo ordered something green because he was trying to be his "best self" or whatever. The first sip was like drinking a lawn. He stared at his spinach-infused abomination while everyone else joked about their epic fails on court.

"Bro, why are you drinking pond water?" Jake asked, genuinely curious.

"Detox," Mateo lied. He was about to dump it when Kayla reached across the table.

"Let me try," she said, sipping from his straw. Then she made a face. "Okay, that's actual grass. But like, respect for trying something new."

She high-fived him, her palm warm against his. Something shifted in his chest—not a flutter, exactly, but like finding solid ground after wobbling on a balance beam.

"Wanna play another round?" she asked. "Jake and Sarah versus you and me?"

Mateo looked at his spinach smoothie, then at Kayla's encouraging smile. He pushed the drink away.

"Yeah," he said, and for the first time all day, he didn't feel like he was performing. "Let's crush them."