Storm Break at Match Point

The padel court felt like a stage, and Maya was definitely not ready for her solo. Sweat trickled down her back as she gripped her racquet, her hands shaking just enough that her best friend Jenna noticed.

"You good?" Jenna asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet beside her. "You look like you're about to puke."

"Totally fine," Maya lied, her voice cracking. Because how could she explain that across the net stood Lucas—the same Lucas who sat three rows behind her in precalc, the one whose smile could actually be described as 'dreamy' without sounding cheesy—and she was about to embarrass herself in front of him?

Again.

The summer league championship had seemed like such a good idea three months ago, back when she was feeling brave and signed up with Jenna. Now, facing the semifinals with Lucas as her opponent, Maya regretted everything.

"Game point!" the referee called.

Maya's partner, a sophomore named Chloe who took everything way too seriously, cracked her neck like a pro. "We got this. Just aim for his backhand."

Lucas served, the ball hitting the glass wall and bouncing back at an impossible angle. Maya scrambled to return it, her sneakers squeaking against the court. They were at deuce, then advantage, then deuce again. The tension built with every rally, her heart running a marathon against her ribs.

Then came the lightning.

Not outside in the distance, but literally striking the transformer by the courts. Everyone screamed as the lights died, plunging them into darkness lit only by the storm's purple flashes.

"Everyone inside, NOW!" the coach yelled.

Maya grabbed her bag and started running—not away from the storm, but toward the locker room, head down, embarrassed that she'd almost beat Lucas but also relieved she wouldn't have to finish the match. But then she collided with someone in the chaos.

"Sorry!" she gasped, looking up into Lucas's flashlight-lit face.

"Maya, right?" He was grinning, and up close, she could see the freckles across his nose. "You were killing it out there. That backhand return? Absolute filth."

The compliment hit her harder than any serve. "You think?"

"I know." He held up his phone, the flashlight illuminating both of them. "Hey, since we're stuck here until the storm passes... want to maybe grab boba after? My treat. Since you were about to crush me."

Maya's stomach did that thing where it flip-flopped in a not-bad way. "Only if you admit I would've won."

Lucas laughed, and the sound was better than any victory. "Deal."

The storm raged outside, but Maya didn't mind the rain anymore. Some matches are worth finishing, even when the lights go out.