The Ball Girl's Double Life

Maya adjusted her visor, the palm trees lining the country club driveway swaying like they were mocking her. This was it—her first day as a ball girl for the summer tennis camp, and she was already ten minutes late. The orange slices in her lunchbox were probably already turning brown.

She rushed past the padel courts—those trendy racket games everyone at school talked about like they'd invented the sport herself. College kids in pastel polo shirts laughed too loudly at inside jokes Maya didn't understand. She adjusted her oversized staff tee, feeling like a fraud.

"You're the new ball girl?"

Maya jumped. A guy her age leaned against the baseball field fence, glove dangling from his hand. Messy dark hair, eyes that crinkled when he smiled.

"Yeah. Maya."

"Liam." He gestured to the field. "Little League camp starts in five. Coach is gonna lose it."

They walked together toward the dugout, and for the first time all summer, Maya didn't feel like she was playing a part. Not pretending to belong with the preppy padel crowd, not faking confidence she didn't feel.

"What's it like?" she asked. "Working here?"

Liam laughed, shaking his head. "Drama central. Last week, Sarah from the snack shack caught Tyler texting someone else during their shift, and now she's basically on a mission to spy on everyone's phone. This place is a soap opera with overpriced smoothies."

Maya grinned. "Note to self: keep my phone on airplane mode."

"Smart." Their hands brushed as they reached the equipment shed. Something electric shimmied up her arm. "Hey, after shift—want to hang out? I know this spot behind the maintenance building where the WiFi doesn't reach anyone's notifications. Just... us."

Her heart did this embarrassing flutter thing. "I'd like that."

Coach blew his whistle. Players scattered. Maya reached for a bucket of baseballs, palm sweating against the plastic handle. Last week she'd been invisible. Today, she had a secret to keep, a boy waiting for her, and the weird, wonderful feeling that maybe she didn't have to perform for anyone anymore.

She caught Liam's eye across the field. He winked.

Yeah. This summer was going to be different.