Zombie Mode at the Padel Court

I was running on two hours of sleep and three energy drinks, feeling like actual zombie bait. Finals week had turned my brain into mush, but Maya had insisted—"You NEED to come, it'll be chill!"—so here I was, at some fancy padel club with my dad's old racket from the garage.

"You got this!" Maya chirped from the sidelines, looking annoyingly fresh in her cute pink skirt. Meanwhile, I was over here rocking dark circles that could win a costume contest.

Our opponents stepped onto the court. First was Tyler—junior varsity basketball captain, annoyingly hot, and the kind of guy who'd bring his own fan club. But his partner? That was Damien, also known as "The Bull" around school. The dude was built like a tank and had a temper to match. Someone said he'd gotten suspended last year for smashing a lacrosse stick into pieces during practice.

"Ready to get smoked, rookie?" Damien smirked, bouncing the ball like he owned the place.

My hands were literally shaking. I'd never played padel in my life. The rules were basically tennis but with walls and somehow more confusing.

First point? I served the ball straight into the net. Tyler's friends laughed. Damien snorted. I wanted to evaporate.

But then something weird happened. Maybe it was the sleep deprivation, maybe it was pure desperation—I just stopped overthinking. My body went on autopilot, zombie mode activated. When the ball came at me, I didn't think. I just swung.

WHACK. Point for us.

Then another. And another. Maya was losing it, screaming like we were at a championship game. Tyler stopped smiling. Damien kept getting madder, his face turning that specific shade of red that warned you to back off.

The final point of the match—the ball sailed toward me at impossible speed. Everything went slow motion. I didn't even see the walls anymore. Pure instinct took over as I slammed it back across the net, right where Damien couldn't reach it.

Game point. We won.

The Bull looked like he might actually explode. Maya tackled me in a hug. Tyler's jaw was on the floor. And me? I was dead tired, somehow still alive, and high-fiving a girl I'd been crushing on for months while her ex looked like he'd swallowed a lemon.

"Dude," Maya said, still grinning as we walked to her car. "You were insane. We're definitely doing this again."

I laughed, feeling properly awake for the first time in days. "Only if you promise I can sleep for twelve hours first."

"Deal."