The Padel Disaster

I smoothed down my orange dress for the millionth time, checking my reflection in the hallway mirror. First padel social of sophomore year, and I was about to make a complete fool of myself. No pressure.

"You're going to crush it, Maya," I whispered to myself, but my stomach was doing full-on gymnastics.

Chase was going to be there. THE Chase Evans, who'd sat next to me in chem since September and somehow never noticed I was literally obsessed with him. This was my chance.

Until I opened the front door.

There, in all its glory: my cat, Luna, crouched over Mr. Bubbles' overturned bowl. Water everywhere. And my goldfish, flopping dramatically on the entryway rug like it was trying out for a reality show.

"NO!" I dove for Mr. Bubbles, my orange dress catching on something—probably my dignity—as I scooped him up and made a tactical sprint to the kitchen sink. Luna darted between my legs, nearly sending me face-first into the linoleum.

"You've got to be kidding me," I muttered, rinsing off my fish like I was some sort of medieval physician.

My phone buzzed. Skylar: 'we're outside! come out or we're leaving without you'

I was so toast. Mr. Bubbles was back in his bowl (Luna giving me serious side-eye from the counter), but now I had approximately two minutes to fix my hair, my makeup, and my entire personality before facing the most important social event of the semester.

The horn honked again.

"Coming!" I grabbed my racket, barely remembered to close the door, and stumbled toward Skylar's mom's SUV. Mr. Bubbles would live. My social life? That was TBD.

"Nice dress," Chase said when I walked into the rec center five minutes later, looking like I'd just survived a natural disaster.

"Thanks," I managed. "Just had a little... situation with my cat. And a fish. And water."

He laughed. Not the pity-laugh. The real one.

"Sounds intense. Want to be partners?"

Maya: 1, Universe: 0. Maybe this year wouldn't be a total flop after all.