Zombie Mode at the Net

Maya's hair refused to cooperate that morning — a frizzy rebellion against the 6 AM alarm that had dragged her out of bed. She was operating on pure **zombie** mode, shuffling toward the country club's **padel** courts while her classmates were probably still dreaming.

"You're lucky," her mom had insisted at breakfast, pushing another serving of **spinach** toward her. "All the cool kids play padel now. It's like tennis but cooler."

Cooler. Right. That's why she was currently hiding in the clubhouse bathroom, frantically picking what looked like an entire spinach forest out of her braces before her first lesson.

The clinic was run by Lucas, a seventeen-year-old with sunshine-streaked hair and the kind of easy confidence Maya couldn't pull off even in her best dreams. There were six other teens, all dressed in matching athletic wear, already forming friend groups while Maya stood alone with her rented racket.

"Alright everyone, grab a partner," Lucas announced.

Maya's stomach did that awful lurch. She was about to be that kid — the last one picked.

"I'll partner with her," said a girl with electric blue streaks in her hair. "I'm Chloe. This is my third week, I still suck."

"I'm Maya," she managed. "This is my first first day."

They laughed. Actual genuine laughter.

An hour later, Maya was dripping sweat, her hair plastered to her forehead, but she was actually — weirdly — having fun. Until Lucas demonstrated a proper volley and Maya, trying to copy him, tripped backward and crashed straight into the **water** cooler.

Silence. Then she was soaked. Everyone staring.

Chloe burst out laughing. "Dude, that was epic. You literally attacked that water cooler."

Maya started giggling too. Because somehow, this morning's spinach disaster and her zombie-state exhaustion had led to this: drenched in water, making her first real friend, feeling more herself than she had in months.

"Same time next week?" Chloe asked.

"Absolutely," Maya said.

Her zombie mode had officially been upgraded to survival mode. And somehow, that was enough.