Electric Summer Nights

The **pool** water glowed weirdly blue in the backyard, the kind of suburban setup that felt secretly magical at 2 AM. Maya's older brother had passed out hours ago, which meant freedom. The cable box had been disconnected last week when her parents "cut down on screen time," so we were making our own entertainment.

"Your **hair** looks so good like that," Chloe said, running her fingers through the loose waves I'd spent forty minutes perfecting. My stomach did that thing where it felt like I'd swallowed a swarm of fireflies. We'd been best friends since seventh grade, but lately everything felt different. Charged.

She was wearing this vintage band tee that showed just enough shoulder to be distracting, and I was hyperaware that we were alone in the dark.

"You think?" I managed, trying to sound casual instead of like I was overthinking everything. Classic teenager overthinking.

"I know." She splashed water at me, grinning. "You're being all weird again."

I floated on my back, staring up at the sky. Somewhere in the distance, **lightning** forked silently across the clouds – heat lightning, the kind that doesn't bring thunder. It felt like the universe was throwing sparks, like something was about to snap.

"Hey," Chloe said suddenly, her voice soft. "You ever feel like you're waiting for something but you don't know what?"

"Literally always," I laughed, but it came out shaky.

She swam closer, treading water near me. The **fox** we'd sometimes spot in the neighborhood darted along the back fence, amber coat catching the distant streetlamp light. Wild thing, never staying where it was supposed to.

"I'm gonna tell you something," Chloe said, and my heart-rate spiked to concerning levels. "I think I'm figuring stuff out. About. You know."

The air between us felt thick, electric in a way that had nothing to do with the storm building miles away. I wanted her to say it. I was terrified she would.

"Me too," I whispered.

She smiled, this tiny real thing, and then splashed me again. "Good. Good."

We didn't say anything else, but the silence felt different. Like we'd both finally admitted the thing we'd been carrying all summer. The lightning flashed again, closer this time, and somewhere in the distance, thunder finally caught up.