The Vitamin Padel Protocol

Maya's mom had sent her to tryouts with a sandwich bag of homemade energy gummies. 'These have your B **vitamin** complex, honey! They'll help you focus!' Maya shoved them deep in her backpack, praying nobody would see. The last thing she needed at Valley View Academy's exclusive **padel** tryouts was to look like a preschooler with fruit snacks.

The school's padel courts were pristine, surrounded by students whose parents had apparently bought their way onto the team. Especially Bryce—that massive **bull** of a guy who'd been loud-mouthing everyone since warmups. 'Dude, your form is tragic,' he'd announced when Maya missed a serve. 'Maybe stick to tennis where nobody cares.'

Maya's phone buzzed in her bag. She'd forgotten her charging **cable** at home, which meant she couldn't even check the group chat to see what everyone was saying about tryouts afterward. She felt cut off, isolated—like she was already underwater and nobody knew.

Then something snapped. Maybe it was Bryce's laugh when she shanked another ball. Maybe it was just the exhaustion of trying to fit in at a school where everyone seemed to have advantages she'd never have. But Maya stopped caring what people thought.

She ate one of her mom's weird gummies. It actually tasted good—like tart lemon and not caring what anyone thought.

'You done?' Bryce called out. 'Because we're trying to play actual padel here.'

'Maybe you'd focus more on your own game if you stopped worrying about everyone else's,' Maya shot back. The court went quiet.

She served. The ball kissed the line. Bryce's return went long.

By the time tryouts ended, Maya wasn't the best player there. But she'd held her own against the bullies, proved she belonged, and discovered that her mom's weird wellness phase wasn't so embarrassing after all. Sometimes the things that make you different are the things that make you strong.

Her phone might die, but Maya was just getting started.