Electric Blue Summer

The chlorine stung my eyes as I surfaced, gasping for air. Another pool party at Jessica's house—another Saturday night trying to look like I belonged. I slicked my wet hair back, feeling ridiculous in my too-small swim trunks.

"Yo Marcus, you gonna surface or what?" Tyler called from the edge, doing that thing where he acted like we'd been best friends since kindergarten just because our moms worked together.

I swam over, forcing what I hoped passed for a chill smile. Jessica lounged on one of those fancy lounge chairs under the palm trees, her perfect blonde hair somehow still dry. She was taking a vitamin D gummy from those cute wellness bottles every girl seemed to carry this summer.

"Weather app says storms coming," she said, popping the gummy into her mouth. "My mom's freaking out about the lightning." She laughed, that musical sound that made my stomach do backflips. "Probably should've planned this party better."

Thunder rumbled in the distance, but nobody moved. These parties never ended early, not when people were this deep into their routine. Tyler cannonballed in, sending a wave of chlorinated water straight at Jessica's chair.

"Tyler!" She squealed, half-annoyed, half-amused. That was Tyler's superpower—being just annoying enough that people couldn't actually stay mad at him.

I paddled to the pool's edge, my palms sweating despite being literally submerged in water. This was it. The moment I'd been building myself up for all week. Jessica had broken up with Brian three days ago. Everyone knew she was vulnerable. Everyone knew it was my shot.

A flash of lightning split the sky, purple-white and way too close. The pool lights flickered.

"Party's over!" Jessica's mom yelled from the back door. "Everyone inside NOW!"

The spell broke. People scrambled out of the water, grabbing towels and phones. I watched Jessica shake out her hair, droplets flying everywhere like sparklers. She caught my eye and actually smiled—not the polite fake one, but something different.

"Hey Marcus," she said as she passed. "Next time, yeah?"

I nodded, not trusting my voice. The storm broke overhead as I climbed out of the pool, thunder shaking the house. But inside my chest, something had finally clicked—maybe next time would be the time I actually spoke to her like a normal person. Maybe next time I'd stop being the kid floating at the edge of everyone else's fun.

Baby steps.