Zombie Mode on the Court

Leo dragged himself onto the padel court at 7 AM, feeling like the actual walking dead. Three hours of sleep would do that to you — especially when you spent half the night overthinking why your former best friend had left you on read for three days straight.

"You good, bro?" Marcus asked, bouncing a yellow ball off his racket. "You look straight-up zombie mode."

"Living the dream," Leo muttered, adjusting his grip on the borrowed racket. The only reason he'd even agreed to join the club was because everyone said it was the easiest way to make new friends sophomore year. So far, it was just sweaty awkwardness with strangers.

Marcus pulled a neon orange bottle from his bag and tossed it. "Here. My mom's all into that holistic wellness stuff. Says these B-complex vitamins changed her life or whatever."

Leo caught it instinctively. "Dude, is this sketchy or what?"

"It's literally vitamins, relax. Unless you think potassium's gonna jump you."

Something about the way Marcus said it — so casually, like they'd been friends for years instead of forty-five minutes — made something in Leo's chest loosen. He dry-swallowed two pills anyway because what did he have to lose?

First game, Leo somehow managed to score the winning point against a pair of juniors who'd been eye-rolling them since warmup. Marcus practically tackled him in a celebration hug that felt surprisingly genuine.

"Yo, that backhand? ABSURD," Marcus said, dumping his gear bag. "We're definitely playing Friday. Also, you should come over. My brother has that new zombie survival game, and I need someone who doesn't totally suck at it."

Leo blinked. "Wait, seriously?"

"Yeah, why not? You're not terrible at this, and you seem chill." Marcus shrugged like it was nothing. "Plus, you took those vitamins without asking questions. That's trust right there."

For the first time in a week, Leo's phone stayed in his pocket. He didn't need to check if someone was replying. He was too busy laughing at something actually funny, something real.

Sometimes, he thought, you didn't find your people by trying so hard it hurt. Sometimes you found them at 7 AM on a padel court, exhausted and zombie-fied, willing to swallow random vitamins because a near-stranger tossed them your way.

And honestly? That was way better than any perfect friendship he'd tried to force.