Electric Waters

The moment Maya's iPhone hit the water, time froze. One second she was living her best life at Tyler's end-of-summer pool party, practically levitating over the fact that Jake—ACTUAL Jake—had finally noticed her existence. The next? *splash*. Dead phone, dead dignity, and approximately three years of cringe heading her way.

She'd been gripping that phone like her life depended on it, waiting for a text that would determine her entire future. *Does he like me? Does he NOT like me?* The eternal question, now literally underwater.

"Oh my god, Maya!" Jenna squealed from the pool's edge, somehow making tragedy sound like gossip. "Your phone!"

No duh. Maya plunged her hand into the chlorinated water, fishing out her now-useless device. Great. Now she'd have to actually talk to people like some kind of social interaction pioneer.

"Bro, that's tragic," Tyler said, handing her a towel. "My mom's got papaya in the fridge, though. It's... an experience?"

"Hard pass on the fruit adventure," Maya muttered, attempting to wrap her phone in the towel like a tiny phone burrito.

But then Jake swam over, water droplets running down his arms like he was in a music video. "Hey. You okay?"

Her brain short-circuited. Like, actual lightning struck through her nervous system. This was it—the moment rom-com montage sequences were made of.

"Totally fine!" she said, voice squeaking. "Just thought my phone needed a swimming lesson. It's training for the Olympics."

Jake laughed. Actually laughed. Not pity-laughed, but real laughed.

"You're weird," he said. "Like, good weird."

They spent the next hour sitting on the pool's edge, feet dangling in the water, talking about everything and nothing. Her iPhone sat forgotten on a table, probably contemplating its life choices. And later, when the sky opened up and actual lightning cracked across the horizon, everyone ran inside screaming while Maya and Jake stayed put, getting soaked in the warm summer rain.

"Your phone's probably dead for good," Jake said.

"Yeah," Maya said, watching the lightning illuminate his smile. "But honestly? Worst thing that could've happened."