The Summer of Sweaty Palms

I wipe my palms on my shorts for the third time. Gross, but necessary. The padel court behind the beach pavilion is crystal-blue perfection, but my brain is currently short-circuiting.

"You good, bro?" Mateo side-eyes me while bouncing on his toes. "You look like you're about to yak."

"I'm solid," I lie, adjusting my oversized sunglasses. "Just vibing."

"Bull." He deadpans. "You've been simping over Crystal since June. She's literally standing right there."

And she is. Crystal Reyes, in all her sun-kissed, hair-slightly-frizzy-from-the-humidity glory. She's laughing at something Jake said—that huge smile that makes my stomach do weird gymnastics. I take a desperate swig from my water bottle, but it's basically lukewarm at this point.

"Hey! Max!" Crystal waves, actually waves at me. "We need two more for mixed doubles. You in?"

My palms are suddenly a waterfall. I open my mouth but nothing comes out. Zero words. My brain has completely buffering.

"He's in!" Mateo announces for me, shoving me forward. "My boy's got skills."

"Skills?" Jake raises an eyebrow. "Max plays like a newborn giraffe."

"Rude," Crystal says, punching his arm. Then she turns to me, and her eyes are genuinely kind. "Ignore him. We'll crush them together."

Together.

That one word hits me like a truck. Something in my chest shifts—like all those months of watching from the sidelines, pretending I didn't care, were just. . . preparation for this moment. I grip my racquet tighter. My palms are still sweaty, my heart's hammering, and I'm definitely going to embarrass myself.

But then I think about never taking this shot. About standing back here forever while life happens on the court.

"Let's do it," I say, and my voice doesn't even crack.

We get crushed. Obviously. But when Crystal high-fives me after our one legendary point, her hand lingers for just a second. And I realize this summer isn't about being cool or winning or not sweating through my shirt.

It's about showing up. Even when your palms are gross and your game is trash and you're pretty sure you're about to humiliate yourself.

Because sometimes? Sometimes you still win.