Lightning at the Pool Party

Maya stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. The frizzy **hair** situation was bordering on catastrophic. She'd spent two hours with the straightener, only for the humidity to declare war on her bangs the moment she stepped outside.

"You ready?" her mom called from downstairs.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Maya muttered, grabbing her pool bag. Jordan's party was the social event of the summer—practically a rite of passage for incoming freshmen. If she didn't go, her social standing would plummet before high school even started.

The social **pyramid** at Jordan's house was painfully obvious the moment she arrived. The popular crew—perfect hair, perfect bodies, perfect lives—lounged on the patio furniture like royalty. The jocks held court near the grill, while everyone else clustered in awkward circles, pretending to be absorbed in their phones.

Maya drifted toward the pool, trying to look casual. The **water** sparkled invitingly, but she hesitated. Diving in meant exposing herself—literally and figuratively.

Then she saw Leo, Jordan's ridiculously hot older brother, and her brain short-circuited. He was the kind of guy who didn't know she existed, the kind who dated seniors and college girls. The kind who made her forget how to form sentences.

He cannonballed into the pool, sending a massive splash her way. Maya scrambled back, but she was too slow. **Water** dripped from her newly soaked hair down her face. Her makeup streaked. Her carefully curated aesthetic was ruined.

"Sorry!" Leo called out, swimming over. "You okay?"

"Yeah, totally," Maya said, her voice cracking. Smooth. So smooth.

"I'm Leo, by the way."

"I know," she blurted, then immediately wanted to die. "I mean, I'm Maya."

He laughed, and it was actually genuine, not mocking. "Nice to meet you, Maya."

They talked for ten minutes—about music, about how weird it was that their parents were friends, about how overwhelming high school would be. It was effortless. It was everything her awkward middle school self had dreamed about.

Then the sky darkened. A crack of **lightning** split the air, followed immediately by thunder that vibrated in her chest.

"Everyone out of the pool!" Jordan's dad shouted.

As they scrambled toward the house, Leo grabbed her arm. "Hey, you doing anything tomorrow? There's this coffee shop downtown—"

"Maya! Time to go!" her mom yelled from the driveway.

"I have to—"

"Text me," Leo said, and actually meant it.

Maya walked to the car, her hair a disaster, her makeup everywhere, her clothes still damp. But as **lightning** flashed again overhead, illuminating Leo's smile as he watched her leave, Maya decided this was the best night of her life.

High school might not be so terrifying after all.