Electric Waters

The pool party at Tyler's house was supposed to be my moment. I'd been crushing on him since freshman year, and tonight, with senior year ending, I was finally gonna make my move. I even borrowed my sister's bikini—the cute one with the high-cut legs that made me feel brave and slightly exposed at the same time.

Everyone was already in the water, laughing and screaming like they'd invented fun. I stood at the edge, nursing my solo cup of flat soda, feeling that familiar chest-tightening overthinking spiral. What if I looked awkward swimming? What if I cannonballed and my bikini top came loose and I literally died of embarrassment right there on the pool deck?

"You gonna stand there all night looking like a confused lifeguard?" Tyler's voice behind me made me jump approximately three feet in the air. He was dripping wet, grinning that stupid perfect grin that made my knees feel like Jell-O.

"I'm observing," I said, attempting to sound chill and failing. "Someone needs to supervise you chaos goblins."

He laughed, and the sound did things to my stomach that I would never admit out loud. "C'mon. The water's actually decent for once. My dad finally fixed the heater."

Before I could overthink it into the next decade, I jumped.

The shock of cool water was actually kind of perfect. I surfaced, sputtering, to find Tyler watching me with this expression I couldn't quite read. Behind us, the sky had turned that weird purple-green color that meant trouble, but nobody else seemed to notice. They were too busy playing some chaotic game of volleyball that had like, zero actual rules.

Then it happened—the first crack of **lightning** split the sky, followed immediately by thunder that rattled my teeth.

"Everyone out NOW!" Tyler's dad yelled from the back door.

The pool cleared faster than a buffet at a youth group conference. But I'd gotten turned around somehow, and in the chaos, I ended up near the deep end where Tyler was already pulling himself out. He reached back, hand extended, and I took it—his palm was warm against my cold, wet skin.

We sat on the pool deck wrapped in towels, watching the storm roll in, shoulders pressed together in that way that felt both accidental and totally intentional.

"So," he said, after another flash of lightning illuminated everything in quicksilver brightness. "This party's kinda a bust."

"Kinda," I agreed, my heart doing this weird fluttery thing that had zero to do with the storm.

"Wanna hang out in my room instead? I have snacks and Netflix."

I looked at him, really looked at him, and saw something new in his eyes—something nervous and hopeful. The storm, the abandoned pool, the fact that we were both sitting there shivering slightly—it all suddenly felt like the setup to something.

"Only if you have Takis," I said.

Tyler's smile was worth every terrifying moment of jumping into that pool. "Deal."