Thunder Court Secrets

The sky bruised purple as Maya crouched behind the chain-link fence, feeling like a total creep. But she couldn't look away.

There he was—Ethan Rodriguez—destroying everyone at padel like his life depended on it. The way his muscles flexed when he smashed that yellow ball against the glass walls should be illegal. Maya wasn't even into sports, but apparently she was into Ethan Rodriguez.

She'd been "spying" on him for three weeks now. Not in a weird way. Okay, maybe a little weird. But ever since he'd held the door open for her at school and said "nice hoodie" (she'd worn that hoodie every day since), she'd been completely cooked.

"You're literally stalking him at this point," her best friend Jada had texted earlier. "Just talk to him or move on."

Easy for Jada to say. Jada had game. Maya had anxiety.

The first crack of thunder made her jump. Ethan's match ended—his team won, obviously—while everyone else scattered toward the clubhouse. Except Ethan. He stood there alone, wiping sweat from his forehead with the hem of his shirt, revealing a slice of stomach that Maya definitely didn't stare at.

A sudden gust whipped her hair across her face. The sky opened up.

Lightning split the sky—bright, jagged, illuminating everything in this stark, frozen moment. And Ethan looked right at her.

Maya's brain short-circuited. Should she run? Hide? Pretend she'd always been there?

Then he waved. Actually waved.

"Hey!" he jogged over, ducking under the fence where she'd squeezed through earlier. His hair was plastered to his forehead. He smelled like rain and deodorant and something clean. "You're Maya, right? From AP Bio?"

Her throat closed up. "Yeah. Hi. I was just—"

"Watching me play padel?" He grinned, and it was so annoying how perfect his teeth were. "I've seen you here. Like, a lot."

Maya's face burned. Could the ground just open up and swallow her whole?

"It's cool," he added quickly. "I mean, it's kinda flattering. Most people at our school think padel's for old people."

"It's not for old people," she blurted. "It's actually really strategic. And fast."

He laughed. It was better than his smile. "Exactly. Hey, my partner bailed on me for next week's tournament. You play?"

The rain poured harder, soaking through her hoodie. Maya's heart did something weird in her chest.

"I've never played," she admitted. "But I'm a fast learner."

"Lightning round," he said, holding out his hand. "I'm Ethan, by the way. Again."

"Maya."

"I know." His dimple appeared. "I pay attention."

As they ran through the downpour toward the clubhouse, Maya thought maybe sometimes, just sometimes, the universe didn't hate you. Sometimes, it literally struck lightning just to give you a push.