The Vitamin Caper

Maya's hands shook as she popped the vitamin gummy into her mouth. It was supposed to be for "energy and focus," but really, it was part of her disguise as the casual observer who just happened to be at the community center every Tuesday and Thursday.

She adjusted her sunglasses inside the indoor court—yes, she was that extra—and positioned herself behind the plexiglass divider. This was week three of Operation Padel Crush, and Maya had basically become a professional at pretending to read while actually memorizing Jordan's backhand technique.

"You're still here?" Jordan asked, wiping sweat from their forehead with the back of their hand. They were all confidence and grace, even with a terrible haircut that Maya had spent three nights thinking about fixing in her head.

"Just... studying the game," Maya lied, clutching her vitamin bottle like it was a tactical asset. "For, like, academic purposes. PE credit."

Jordan laughed. "You've been 'studying' for three weeks, Maya. You know we could just play together, right?"

Maya's face burned. She'd been so focused on not being creepy that she'd accidentally become mega creepy. The spy life was not for her—she had zero chill and approximately zero ability to play it cool.

"I don't even know how to play," she admitted, dropping the sunglasses. "I just... wanted to talk to you."

Jordan grinned, all genuine warmth. "I know. I've been waiting for you to say something. The vitamin bottle was a nice touch, though. Very secret agent."

"So does this mean I'm not fired from my spy mission?" Maya asked, hopeful despite herself.

"Nah," Jordan said, tossing her a spare racquet. "But you can start a new mission. Operation: Actually Learn Padel. Warning: I play to win."

Maya caught the racquet, heart racing, and realized some missions didn't need sunglasses at all.