Electric Waters

Marcus stood at the edge of the pool, clutching his towel like a lifeline. The graduation pool party at Jessica's house was supposed to be epic, but he just felt awkward in his swim trunks while everyone else looked like they'd stepped out of a TikTok.

"Yo Marcus, you good?" called Tyrell, doing a cannonball that splashed half the partygoers. "You've been standing there for like ten minutes. You're literally roasting."

Marcus forced a laugh. "Yeah, just... mentally preparing."

Truth was, he was terrified. He'd been crushing on Jessica since sophomore year, and tonight felt like his last chance before everyone scattered for college. But every time he tried to talk to her, his brain went fully offline.

Her golden retriever, Buster, bounded over and shook his wet fur all over Marcus's legs. The dog seemed determined to be everyone's best friend, living his best life with zero insecurity. Marcus envied him.

"Sorry about that!" Jessica appeared, toweling off her hair. She looked amazing in her bikini, water droplets glistening on her shoulders like she'd been dusted with diamonds. "Buster loves new people. He's a total chaos demon."

"It's cool," Marcus managed, his heart hammering against his ribs. "I, uh, like your dog. He's got main character energy."

Jessica laughed, and it was the best sound he'd ever heard. "That's one way to put it. Hey, are you coming in? The water's actually bearable today. Usually it's freezing."

BEARABLE. The word hit him like a truck. Last summer at camp, his cabin had jokingly nicknamed him "Bear" because he'd somehow managed to sleep through a thunderstorm and a breakfast bell.

What were the odds?

"Actually," Jessica continued, "I meant to ask—remember that drama presentation junior year? You were super good. Like, actually good, not just high-school-theater good."

Marcus blinked. "You saw that?"

"Duh." She rolled her eyes playfully. "I sat behind you in English all year. You've got, like, actual stage presence. Which is weird because you're so quiet in class."

Before he could respond, the sky crackled. Lightning spiderwebbed across the darkening clouds, followed immediately by thunder that vibrated in everyone's chest.

"Everyone out!" Jessica's dad shouted from the patio. "Storm's rolling in fast!"

The pool cleared in seconds as people scrambled for towels and cover. But Marcus noticed Jessica wasn't moving. She was staring at the storm, mesmerized, rain beginning to speckle her arms.

"It's kind of beautiful, right?" she said, almost to herself. "Like nature's way of saying 'hold my beer.'"

Marcus stepped closer, forgetting about his awkwardness, forgetting about everything except this moment. "Yeah. It's like... I don't know, it makes everything else feel small. In a good way."

She turned to him, rain matting her hair to her face, and smiled. Something shifted between them—something electric, like the air before lightning strikes.

"You know," she said softly, "I never noticed until now, but you've got really nice eyes. They're like, serious eyes. The kind that notice things."

Marcus felt himself swimming in her gaze, drowning in the best possible way. The storm, the party, everything else faded.

"Jessica!" her mom called from the door. "Inside! NOW!"

"Coming!" She grabbed Marcus's hand. "Come on, Bear. You're not getting out of this conversation that easily."

His nickname. From camp. Two summers ago.

He followed her toward the house, heart racing faster than the storm, grinning like an idiot as the rain came down in sheets.

Some nights really were electric.