The Vitamin Shot Match

My hands were literally shaking as I stood outside the padel court. Max had been DMing me for weeks about how I HAD to try it, how it was basically tennis but cooler, and I'd finally caved. But now? I was about to bolt.

"You good, newbie?"

I jumped. A girl in a faded Stanford sweatband leaned against the fence, spinning a padel racquet like it was a baton. "I'm Leo," she said. "Max's friend from calc."

"Sam," I managed. "I, uh, don't really... play sports."

"Same," Leo grinned. "I'm just here for the post-game boba. Also, Max said you're running a campaign in D&D? I'm dying to join."

I blinked. This was easier than expected.

Then HE walked in. Jason "The Bull" Morrison—team captain, somehow hot AND terrifying, currently scowling like someone'd keyed his Lexus. He spotted Leo and smirked.

"Ready to get wrecked, band-aid?"

Leo's face went tight. "Bring it, Bull."

Oh. This wasn't a friendly match.

"Sam's with me," Leo said, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "We're crushing you and what's-his-face."

Some sophomore I'd never seen before waved awkwardly from the other side.

"You're going down," Bull said, but he was looking at Leo with this weird intensity.

"Game on," she shot back.

Forty minutes later, I was drenched, my lung capacity was questionable, and I'd somehow accidentally won the match point with a fluke shot off the back wall. Bull was staring at me like I'd grown a second head.

"Beginner's luck," he scoffed, but he was kinda smiling?

"Pure skill," Leo said, bumping my fist. "Sam's secret weapon is that she never played before so she has no bad habits."

"Vitamin D and electrolytes," I said randomly, because my brain had stopped functioning. "For... recovery?"

Bull actually laughed. "Weird flex, but okay."

Later, as we limped toward the boba place, Leo whispered, "Bull's been asking about you all week in calc. That's why he was being extra annoying."

"Wait, WHAT?"

"Welcome to the social labyrinth, my friend." She grinned. "At least you're good at padel now."