The Padel Court Summer

The summer I turned sixteen, I spent every afternoon hiding behind the chain-link fence of the community padel court. My parents had signed me up for lessons, convinced it would be "good for my social development," but I mostly just wanted to disappear into the background.

Instead, I became the weird girl with the vitamin gummy addiction.

Every day at 3 PM, I'd pop two cherry-flavored multivitamins—my nervous habit whenever the cool kids gathered near the court. Maya and her friends would laugh loudly, their outfits perfectly coordinated, while I sat on the bench with my backpack and my secret vitamin stash.

Then there was the cat.

A scrawny orange tabby started showing up halfway through July. It would perch on the fence, watching me like I was the most interesting thing it had ever seen. I named him Bolt after my brother's baseball obsession, even though the cat moved like he had all the time in the world.

"Does your cat want to play padel?"

I looked up to see Liam standing there, holding a padel racket. He was in Maya's group, the one who always made fun of people's shoes. My heart did that embarrassing flutter thing.

"He's not my cat," I said, hiding my vitamin bottle. "He's just... observant."

Liam sat down next to me. "I've been watching you. You're always here, but you never play."

"I'm not really the sporty type."

"Neither am I." He gestured toward the court where Maya was now flirting with some college guys. "They only let me hang around because I can hit baseballs over the fence when they're practicing serving."

The orange cat bumped his head against Liam's knee, purring like a motor.

"Bolt likes you," I said.

"Bolt?" Liam grinned, and suddenly the nervous energy in my chest felt different—less like anxiety, more like excitement. "Like from baseball?"

"Maybe." I smiled back. "Or maybe he's just fast."

"Hey," Liam said, "my friend is having a party this weekend. Her parents have a padel court in their backyard. You should come. Bring Bolt."

"Bolt's not really invited-" I started, but he was already pulling out his phone.

"You are though."

That night, I threw away my vitamin gummies. Some habits you outgrow. Others—like new friends, orange cats named after baseball terminology, and finally stepping onto the court instead of watching from the fence—you keep forever.