The Summer Everything Changed

The orange oversized t-shirt clung to Maya's back as she stood at the edge of the country club, her heart doing that thing where it forgot how to rhythm correctly. This was it—her first summer as a high schooler, and somehow she'd let Chloe talk her into joining the club's padel league even though she'd never held a racquet in her life.

"You'll be fine," Chloe had said, flipping her perfectly straightened hair. "It's basically tennis but easier. My brother's friends play, and they're actually chill."

Actually chill. The phrase echoed in Maya's head as she spotted them by the padel courts—Jake, with his annoyingly perfect smile, and his friends who definitely ranked somewhere in the social pyramid at school. Meanwhile, Maya spent her weekends competitive swimming, which meant she had shoulders broader than most guys and absolutely zero experience with anything involving hand-eye coordination and boys watching.

Her dad's golden retriever, Buster, chose that exact moment to bolt from their parked car, tennis ball in mouth, making a beeline for Jake's feet.

"Buster, NO!" Maya sprinted across the pavement, her orange shirt flapping, chlorine-summer skin burning with embarrassment. "Sorry, he's—"

"Solid dog," Jake said, already throwing the ball. Buster returned, tail going absolutely feral. "You're Maya, right? From the swim team?"

She froze. He knew who she was?

"Yeah, that's me. The one who practically lives in a swimsuit."

"That's actually kind of badass," Jake said, and something in his voice sounded genuine. "We need someone with stamina. You ever try padel?"

Maya looked at the court, then at Buster, then at Jake who wasn't looking at her like she was the swim team girl, but like she was someone worth talking to.

"Never," she said, stepping onto the court. "but I'm guessing you're about to teach me."

Chloe appeared behind her, grinning like she'd planned this whole thing. Maybe the summer wasn't going to be so terrible after all.