Electric in the Dead of Night

I was a total zombie. Like, actually undead. Fourth night in a row falling asleep at 3 AM because *some* of us were busy having the most important text conversation of our lives with Maya Chen. Who, by the way, had just casually dropped that she thought guys who played baseball were cute.

So obviously I had to try out for the team yesterday. Even though I hadn't picked up a bat since Little League and the coach looked at me like I was crazy when I showed up with gym shorts instead of actual baseball pants.

"You gonna stand there holding the bat like it's a newborn baby," Tyler called out, laughing with his varsity jacket friends. "Or you gonna actually swing it?"

The PE teacher clapped his hands. "Alright, show us what you got, new kid."

I swung. Missed. The ball rolled pitifully into the grass. Someone yelled "walk much?" and everyone laughed. I felt my face burn. This was it. This was where my social life went to die. Again.

Then lightning cracked across the sky—actual purple-blue lightning, close enough that the hairs on my arms stood up. Thunder shook the metal bleachers. Coach blew his whistle. "Everyone inside, NOW! Field's closed!"

We all grabbed our stuff and scrambled toward the school building. Maya was waiting by the doors, talking to her friends. My stomach did that thing where it felt like it was gonna fall out of my body.

"Nice swing," she said, deadpan. I couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or actually—I couldn't tell.

"I was aiming for the fence," I said, before I could stop myself. "Missed by like, three hundred feet."

She laughed. Actual laughed. "You know, my cousin plays for the travel team. He says the first rule of baseball is don't try too hard. That's how you choke."

"Noted," I said. "I'll add that to my list of things I learned today, right behind 'don't wear gym shorts to tryouts.'"

"You're funny." She smiled. And my zombie heart did something very much like not being dead anymore.

Another flash of lightning, closer this time. We flinched at the same time.

"Hey," she said, "want to come over? We could order pizza and watch that zombie apocalypse show everyone's talking about. I mean, if you're not too busy being a baseball star now."

I smiled so hard my face actually hurt. "I think I can reschedule my training."

Sometimes the universe hits you with lightning. And sometimes, if you're lucky enough to stay awake through the zombie parts, you get exactly what you never knew you needed.