Sunday at the Padel Court

I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at Henry the goldfish. He swam in circles, oblivious to my crisis.

"She's going to be there, Henry. What do I even say?"

Henry blew a bubble. Helpful.

My hair refused to cooperate, sticking up in three directions. I'd spent twenty minutes trying to tame it—gel, water, even a hairband my mom left on the counter. Nothing worked. It looked like I'd stuck a fork in an electrical socket. Again.

My iPhone buzzed. Maya: *we're still on for padel right? jake's bringing his cousin*

My stomach did that thing where it forgot how to stomach. Jake's cousin. The one with the perfect hair and the smile that made me forget my own name. Also known as the reason I currently looked like a frightened hedgehog.

I texted back: *yeah omw*

OMW. I wasn't moving. I was having a conversation with a fish about social anxiety and hair product failure.

"You're a terrible spy," I told Henry. "A spy would be calm. A spy would have a plan. James Bond never had cowlick issues."

My phone buzzed again. Maya: *they're waiting on you*

I grabbed my racket and bolted. The neighborhood padel court was three blocks away—close enough that Maya could text me "where are you" before I even left my driveway.

When I arrived, everyone was already warming up. Jake's cousin, whose name was apparently Ryan, served the ball across the court. His hair actually moved with him, defying physics and humidity.

"Hey!" Maya waved me over. "You're on Ryan's team."

Ryan tossed me the ball. "Ready?"

"Yeah," I said, my voice cracking. "Totally."

We played. I missed. I served into the net. I tripped. Ryan laughed, but not meanly. He actually helped me up.

"Your hair's cool," he said. "Looks intentional."

"It's not," I said.

"That's the cool part."

We played another round. I actually hit the ball. Ryan high-fived me. My palm sweated through my shirt.

Later, Maya texted: *he asked for your insta*

I flopped onto my bed. Henry swam over.

"Henry," I whispered. "I think I'm not cut out for this spy stuff."

But I was smiling. And my hair still looked ridiculous, but somehow that felt okay.