The Hat, The Dog, The Court

Max pulled his beanie down lower, practically hiding his entire face. First day at Lincoln High, and he'd already managed to sit alone at lunch. Again.

"Hey, you play padel?" A voice cut through his misery. It was Maya from his history class, standing with her friends like some kind of social royalty.

"Uh, yeah?" Max lied. He'd never held a racquet in his life.

"Cool. We're hitting the courts after school. You should come."

Max nodded, already regretting everything. He'd watched enough YouTube tutorials. How hard could it be?

After school, his mom intercepted him at the door, vitamin C tablet in hand. "Don't forget this! Immune system, baby!" She practically forced it into his palm. Max rolled his eyes but swallowed it dry because he was that desperate to not die of uncoolness.

The padel courts were worse than he'd imagined. Everyone looked like they'd stepped out of a sports commercial. Max, in his oversized beanie and thrift store hoodie, felt like a fraud.

"You're up!" Maya tossed him a racquet.

Max missed the ball three times before finally hitting it—straight into his own face. The laughter was immediate. His face burned. He reached for his hat, like it could actually help him disappear.

"Yo, that was legendary," some guy called out. Not even sarcastically?

But Max was already halfway to the gate. He'd rather walk Mrs. Chen's chihuahua than suffer another second of this.

Speaking of—which is exactly what he did. Buster, the world's most annoying dog, looked at him with those judgmental eyes. Max sat on the sidewalk, letting his hat slide off, and just… breathed.

"You know what, little dude?" Max said to the dog. "High school sucks."

Buster licked his hand. A solid response, honestly.

His phone buzzed. Maya: "taco bell tomorrow? my treat. you're actually funny"

Max stared at the screen. Maybe tomorrow he'd even take off the hat.