The Zombie Who Found Her Serve

Maya dragged herself through the school hallway, feeling like a **zombie** impersonating a human. Three AP classes, varsity tennis practice, and her mom's latest health obsession had turned her into a walking corpse. At least that's how it felt when she crashed onto the bench outside the community center, eyeing the strange new **padel** court.

"You look dead," said a voice.

Maya looked up. A guy her age stood there, holding a racket with a shorter face than a tennis racquet. He had messy dark hair and the kind of easy grin that made her stomach do something she hadn't felt since freshman year.

"Thanks. That's the goal," she muttered.

"Wanna play? I'm Leo. My sister bailed."

Maya should've said no. She had a history test tomorrow, her mom would kill her if she skipped practice, and she'd never played padel in her life. But something about the way Leo looked at her—not like she was the smart girl or the tennis prodigy, just like she was a person—made her say yes.

The game was nothing like tennis. The walls, the smaller court, the way the ball spun differently. And Leo kept making her laugh. Really laugh, not the polite laugh she used around her mom's friends or the forced laugh she gave when her study group made jokes she didn't find funny.

"Your mom's the **vitamin** lady, right?" Leo asked as they sat on the bench afterward, sharing his water bottle. "The one who brings those weird green shakes to school events?"

Maya groaned. "Don't remind me. She thinks everything can be solved with supplements."

"Maybe she's onto something." Leo held up his water bottle. "Hydration's a vitamin, right?"

She laughed. And in that moment, the zombie she'd been feeling like for months peeled away. Like she'd finally found something—someone—that made her feel awake again.

"Same time tomorrow?" Leo asked, standing up.

Maya's phone buzzed with a reminder: History test, 7:45 AM. But she found herself smiling, really smiling, for the first time in she didn't know how long.

"Definitely."