Electric Waters

Marcus stood at the edge of the pool party, clutching his dad's old bucket hat like it was some kind of medieval shield against social annihilation. The thing was ridiculous—faded beige with a sweat stain inside the band—but wearing it made him feel like he had armor against Taylor's perfectly curated friend group.

"Yo, Marcus!" Jake called from the pool. "Stop lurking and get in the water!"

"I'm good," Marcus mumbled, adjusting the hat brim lower. Why did summer have to be so... expose-yourself-to-everyone?

Then the sky opened up. Not regular rain, but full-on drama queen weather. Lightning cracked across the sky like someone had taken a photo with flash, and suddenly everyone was scrambling for cover.

Marcus found himself squeezed onto the covered porch with Taylor, shaking water from his ridiculous hat. She was laughing, her makeup streaking, hair frizzing into something actually human-looking.

"Your hat," she giggled. "It's giving... grandpa at the beach."

"Yeah, well." Marcus shrugged, then hesitated. Something about the storm stripped away the usual performance. "My dad wore it. He said it made him feel cool."

Her laughter softened. "That's actually kind of sweet, weirdly."

Lightning flashed again, closer this time. The porch lights flickered.

"Hey," Taylor said, touching his arm. "Your dad's cool hat is totally working for you. Not gonna lie."

Marcus smiled. Maybe the hat wasn't armor after all. Maybe it was just... himself.

"Thanks," he said, and meant it.

The storm raged on, but for once, Marcus didn't feel like hiding underneath anything. Not even a bucket hat.