Zombies at the Net

I was basically a zombie walking into third period when Maya grabbed my arm. "You're coming to padel practice after school. Coach says we need a fourth."

I blinked. Padel? That rich kid sport that sounded like something you'd order at a Mexican restaurant? "I don't even know how to play."

"Exactly." Maya steered me toward her locker. "The popular pyramid scheme at this school. Sports, then parties, then you're in."

I should've said no. But my brain was still offline from staying up until 3 AM watching conspiracy videos, and apparently my mouth was too.

At the courts, I learned two things fast: padel is like tennis but with walls, and I absolutely sucked at it. The ball ricocheted off everything except my racket. Jordan, this sophomore who somehow had a beard already, kept yelling tips like he invented the sport.

"Bro, you're standing like a zombie," he laughed. "Bend your knees."

I bent my knees. The ball hit my shin. Everyone laughed, but not in a mean way. Not like they did in PE when I tripped over my own feet.

We played for two hours. I was terrible, but something weird happened—I stopped thinking about the math test I'd definitely failed, or how my mom had started crying at dinner again, or how I felt like I was floating through life like a ghost. I was just hitting balls against walls, watching them bounce back, and learning that sometimes missing a shot is just part of the game.

Afterward, Jordan bought us all ICEEs from the concession stand. "You're not terrible," he told me. "You just play weird."

"Is that good or bad?"

"Good." He shrugged. "Predictable is boring. You keep everyone guessing."

I walked home feeling strangely awake, like I'd actually done something instead of just surviving another day. Maybe that was the real pyramid—not the social hierarchy I'd been obsessing over, but the tiny steps you climb to feel like yourself again.

My phone buzzed. A text from Maya: "Same time tomorrow?"

I grinned. Maybe I could do this padel thing. And maybe, just maybe, I was done sleepwalking through high school.