Lightning at the Pool Party

The July humidity clung to everything—my skin, my hair, the sticky plastic cup I was gripping. Jada's end-of-summer pool party raged around me, bass thumping against the fence, people screaming cannonball contests into the twilight. I'd been crushing on Marco since freshman year, and tonight was finally gonna be the night I made my move.

Then I saw him: leaning against the fence with That Fox, aka Sasha, whose reputation preceded her like a storm cloud. She had this predatory grace—always watching, always waiting to swoop in on whoever she wanted. She was already all over Marco, her hand lingering way too long on his arm.

"You're literally spying on them," my best friend Dre whispered, appearing beside me with two sodas. "It's giving obsessed."

"I'm not spying," I snapped, though I'd been watching them for ten minutes straight. "I'm observing the situation. There's a difference."

He snorted. "Whatever helps you sleep, fam. But full disclosure? Marco asked where you were like ten minutes ago."

My stomach did this stupid little flip. "Wait, really?"

"That's bull, Dre!" Sasha's voice cut through the music suddenly. She was laughing too loud, her hand still on Marco's arm. "You're literally obsessed with me!"

Then everything changed—a jagged fork of lightning split the sky, instant downpour drowning the music. Everyone shrieked and scrambled toward the covered patio. Through the chaos, Marco made eye contact with me, motioning toward the pool house.

My heart hammered as I slipped away from the crowd, rain plastering my dress to my skin. The pool house was dark, quiet, smelled like chlorine and summer. Marco was already there, shirt off, chest heaving.

"Hey," he said, and all my practiced lines evaporated.

"Hey," I managed back, suddenly hyper-aware of everything—how close we were, the storm raging outside, how his wet hair curled against his forehead.

Another lightning flash illuminated his face. "I've been looking for you all night," he said softly.

The rain kept falling, but in that tiny pool house, everything finally stopped feeling terrifying and started feeling like exactly where I was supposed to be.