Lightning at the Deep End

The pool party at Tyler's house was supposed to be legendary, but Maya spent the first hour clutching her orange juice like it was a lifeline. Everyone else was already in the water, their bodies glistening under the string lights strung between the trees. She'd bought this new bikini—one of those retro high-waisted ones that looked cute on Instagram but made her feel ridiculous in person.

"You coming in or what?" Tyler called from the diving board, doing his best to look cool. Tyler, who she'd had a crush on since seventh algebra, who was currently displaying way more chest hair than any sixteen-year-old had any right to have.

"Maybe later," Maya mumbled, taking a tiny sip of her juice.

Behind her, someone snorted. "Don't let him give you bull. The water's freezing."

She turned to see Jake—Tyler's older brother, leaning against the back fence, a goldfish cracker dangling from his fingers. He had that effortless confidence that came with being eighteen and having already survived everything high school could throw at you.

"Thanks," she said, surprisingly grateful for the honesty.

"Want one?" He offered the goldfish crackers. "I stole them from the little kids' snack stash."

Maya laughed and took a handful. They stood there for a minute, watching Tyler and his friends show off for each other, their laughter echoing across the water.

"You know," Jake said, "Tyler's been talking about you all week."

Maya nearly choked on a goldfish. "What?"

"He's terrified you're gonna think he's an idiot. He's been practicing his cannonballs in the backyard every night since Monday."

A smile tugged at Maya's lips. "Seriously?"

"Kid's got it bad." Jake finished his crackers. "Sometimes the people who seem the most confident are just the ones best at faking it."

Something about the way he said it—no judgment, just truth—made Maya's chest feel lighter. She looked at Tyler, currently attempting a backflip that was definitely going to end badly.

Lightning flashed somewhere in the distance, followed by a low rumble of thunder. The party noise quieted for a second, everyone looking up.

"Storm's coming," Jake said. "Better get in before it gets worse."

Maya nodded, setting down her juice. She walked to the pool's edge, took a deep breath, and jumped in—not gracefully, not perfectly, just all in. The water shocked her system, cold and sudden, and when she broke the surface, sputtering and laughing, Tyler was already swimming over, looking relieved and excited at the same time.

"Finally!" he said, and the genuine happiness in his voice made everything okay.

Maya wiped water from her eyes, grinning. Sometimes the scariest jumps were the ones worth taking. Lightning flashed again, and this time she didn't flinch.