Electric at Murphy's Pool

The humidity was already thick enough to chew when Maya's phone buzzed. *Pool party @ Murphy's. 7. Don't be weird.*

Maya stared at her reflection, palms sweating against her phone case. This was it—the moment she'd been overthinking since seventh grade. Liam Murphy, whose hair somehow looked perfect even when he supposedly "just woke up like this," was having people over. Actual people. The kind who didn't spend Friday nights re-reading fantasy series and pretending they were too cool for TikTok.

"You're literally vibrating," her little brother observed from the doorway. "It's just a pool, Maya. Not the Olympics."

"Shut up, Finn."

**Lightning** cracked somewhere distant as she grabbed her towel, the sky already bruising purple-gray. Perfect. Storms always made everything more dramatic, like the universe was coordinating with her internal monologue.

The Murphy backyard was already chaos when she arrived—wet grass, TikTok music blasting from Bluetooth speakers, chlorine and coconut sunscreen hanging heavy in the air. Liam was in the **pool**, tread water with that effortless grace that made Maya's chest do stupid things.

"Maya!" He waved, sending water arcing everywhere. "Finally. We were about to start truth or dare without you."

Her stomach did that thing where it simultaneously dropped and soared. **Palm** sweating against her phone, she slid it into her bag before anyone could notice her nervous scrolling.

Then she saw it—a flash of russet fur near the back fence. A real, actual **fox**, sleek and impossible, watching them with clever amber eyes like it knew something they didn't.

"Guys," Maya breathed, "there's literally a fox—"

"Truth or dare!" someone shouted, and the moment dissolved into laughter and splashing. The fox vanished, leaving Maya wondering if she'd imagined it, which felt perfect somehow. This whole night felt like something she might have invented.

Later, under the porch overhang as rain drummed down, Liam found her watching the storm.

"Hey." His hair was wet, messy. Real. "You okay? You looked kinda... I dunno. Out of it?"

"Yeah." Maya swallowed. "Just thinking how weird it is that we're all here, pretending we know what we're doing."

Liam laughed, and it sounded genuine. "Literally no one knows what they're doing, Maya. That's the whole secret."

**Lightning** flashed again, and for once, Maya didn't overthink the moment. She just let herself be there, palm pressed against the wooden porch, heart full of possibility, as the storm washed away everything except right now.