Vitamin P & the Bull

Maya stared at her phone, the blue light from her iPhone illuminating the dark locker room. Her best friend Sofia had posted a photo of the padel tournament — captioned: "Vitamin P squad ready to crush it!" Maya wasn't in it. Again.

She'd begged her mom for padel lessons after eighth grade when everyone suddenly got really into this racquet sport that looked like tennis mixed with squash, but way more exclusive. Her mom had said no, pointing to the expensive organic vitamins she already bought instead. "Those supplements are for your health, Maya. Not some trendy sport."

Now sophomore year, Maya was done being the girl who carried everyone's water bottles. She texted Sofia: "I'm playing today."

"What? But Tyler's partner is sick..."

"Exactly. I'm subbing in."

The bull — Tyler Chen, nickname earned in middle school when he'd charge down the basketball court like an animal — dominated the padel courts. Everyone wanted to be his partner. He was also the reason Maya started taking those stupid vitamins, trying to fix her "frizzy hair" after he'd made some comment freshman year.

She grabbed a borrowed racquet and walked onto the court. Tyler raised an eyebrow. "You play?"

"Watch me."

The game started fast. Maya's phone was back in her bag, no notifications, no likes, no comparison. Just the thwack of the ball, her sneakers squeaking on the court, the way her body moved without overthinking every motion. She wasn't great, but she wasn't terrible either.

"Not bad," Tyler said after their first point. His voice was different than she expected — not the arrogant tone from his Instagram stories, but something genuine. Maybe interested.

By game point, Maya's hair was a mess, her face flushed, and she didn't care. When she slammed the winning shot past their opponents, Tyler actually smiled.

"Hey," he said as they walked off the court. "You should play with us next weekend."

Maya glanced at her iPhone on the bench. No new notifications. No likes needed. "Yeah," she said, grinning. "I'd like that."

Later that night, she poured the expensive vitamins into the trash. Some things you outgrow. Others, like finding your own way to belong — those you keep forever.