Electricity in the Water

Maya was practically running on caffeine and panic when she skidded into the aquatic center at 6:58 AM. Coach Reynolds's legendary pre-dawn practice—miss it and you're basically swimming with the junior varsity sharks for a week.

"You're late, Diaz," he barked, though his eyes betrayed amusement. "Warm up. 200 free. Go."

Maya dove in, the cool water shocking her awake. She'd been up half the night doom-scrolling through TikTok, overthinking that awkward moment with Leo at the food court yesterday. He'd touched her arm when he laughed—was that a thing? Or just a thing? Her brain was still running in circles.

"Everyone out! Now!"

Coach's voice cut through her rhythm. Maya surfaced, blinking. The sky outside had turned that ominous purple-green, the kind that makes weather apps go full doomer mode. Then—CRACK. Lightning forked across the windows, blindingly bright.

"Pool's a lightning rod, people! Clear the deck!"

Everyone scrambled toward the locker rooms, grabbing towels and phones. But Maya hung back, dripping by the starting blocks. Leo emerged from the boys' locker room, hair wet, that infuriatingly perfect smile already in place.

"Rough morning?" he asked, falling into step beside her as they walked to the hallway.

"You have no idea." She laughed nervously. "My brain is basically 47 open tabs right now."

He stopped walking. "Same. Actually, I was wondering—"

CRACKBOOM. The building shook. The emergency lights flickered on, bathing everything in weirdly romantic red light. Someone's phone started blasting a party anthem from the locker room.

Leo stepped closer, his voice dropping to that register that makes your stomach do actual gymnastics. "I was gonna ask if you wanted to study for AP Bio at my place? But like, actually study? My mom makes bomb matcha."

Maya's heart was definitely swimming upstream somewhere near her throat. "Yes. Like, a thousand percent yes."

"Cool." He grinned, and something electric—real, natural electricity—zapped between them. "Cool cool cool."

The storm passed 20 minutes later. Coach herded everyone back to the pool. Maya's 200 free time was trash, her turns were sloppy, and she forgot half the drills.

But she caught Leo watching her from the bleachers during cooldown, and honestly? Worst practice ever. Best morning ever.