Lightning Fox Summer

The party was already dead when I found Maya in the bathroom, texting someone named 'Goldfish' like her life depended on it. That's when I knew our ten-year friendship was about to get weird.

'You coming back?' I asked, leaning against the doorframe like I owned the place. Spoiler: I absolutely did not.

Maya looked up, eyes wide. 'Tyler brought his dog. And I'm pretty sure it just ate something illegal.'

This was supposed to be our summer. Senior year coming up, infinite possibilities, all that cheesy stuff adults say to make us feel better about growing up. Instead, we were at Jenna Miller's house party, watching Tyler's golden retriever parade around with what looked like a very questionable paper towel in its mouth.

'Maybe that's a sign,' I said, trying to sound chill. 'Like, the universe is telling us we're too old for this.'

Maya laughed, but it was that fake laugh she'd been using since June. Since she got her license. Since she started hanging out with people who had opinions about craft beer and college essays.

Suddenly, lightning flashed through the bathroom window, illuminating everything in this wild strobe-light effect. For a second, Maya looked like a stranger. Then the thunder shook the house, and someone screamed downstairs.

We both rushed out. The dog was freaking out. People were scattering. And in the chaos, I saw Jenna's pet fox—it was some exotic pet situation, honestly—darting past the dog, which was now barking at nothing.

'Your goldfish moment is here,' I shouted over the noise. 'What are you gonna do about it?'

Maya stared at me, confused. Then she looked at her phone, where 'Goldfish' was still waiting. She typed something fast, hit send, and grabbed my hand.

'Let's get out of here,' she said.

We ran through the rain to her car, leaving the party and the confused dog and the weird fox behind. The lightning kept flashing like paparazzi. And that's when I knew—things were changing, but not ending. Maybe that's what growing up feels like. Not losing everything, but just... running through rain toward something new.