Electric Summer Nights

The pool deck at Tyler's house was packed—everybody who was anybody from sophomore year was there, floating in the glowing blue water or pretending to be chill around the edge. Maya stood near the back door, solo cup in hand, heart doing that weird fluttery thing it always did when Jason was within a fifty-foot radius. He was currently in the shallow end, laughing at something Tyler said, water droplets glistening on his arms like stupid magic.

"You gonna stand there all night or actually talk to him?" Zara appeared beside her, raising an eyebrow. "Your moment's literally happening right now."

"I can't. What would I even say? 'Hey Jason, nice weather we're having, wanna discuss my ongoing existential crisis?" Maya gestured vaguely at the pool, where someone had started building a ridiculous human pyramid of drunk teenagers. "This whole social hierarchy thing feels like actual death."

Zara snorted. "Okay first, you're overthinking. Second, that pyramid is definitely gonna collapse and it's gonna be hilarious."

And then, like actual comic timing from the universe, it DID collapse—six people splashing into the water in a chaos of limbs and laughter. Maya found herself giggling despite everything, and that's when Jason looked over and caught her eye.

He started walking toward her, and Maya's brain went absolutely static, like lightning had struck directly between her ears. THIS WAS IT.

"Hey," he said, dripping pool water everywhere, smiling all crooked and genuine. "I was gonna get snacks. You want anything?"

Maya opened her mouth, fully prepared to say something smooth and cool, but what came out was: "I like your face."

There was a moment—a literal actual second—where they both just stared at each other. And then Jason laughed, not mean, but actually delighted, and Maya felt something in her chest unclench.

"I like your face too," he said, and the way his eyes crinkled made Maya feel like maybe, just maybe, high school wouldn't be completely terrible after all.

Somewhere behind them, the failed pyramid attempt was already becoming legend, and Zara was giving Maya the most aggressively obvious thumbs-up of all time. But Maya just stood there, dripping water from the splash zone, feeling real and seen and absolutely terrified in the best way possible.