Lightning in a Bottle

Maya's hair was doing that thing again — the catastrophic frizz that announced I DON'T CARE WHAT ANYONE THINKS while screaming I ACTUALLY CARE TOO MUCH. She smoothed it with sweaty palms for the hundredth time as she crouched behind the plywood barrier with Leo, both of them pressed against the splintery wood like it might save them from what was coming.

"You sure about this?" Leo asked, nudging her shoulder with his. His hazel eyes flicked between her face and the dirt arena where something massive and dangerous was currently pawing the ground. Maya's heart hammered against her ribs like it was trying to escape her chest.

"Nope," she said. "But she said she'd never forgive me if I didn't at least try."

Her best friend Chloe was stuck in the hospital with a broken leg from a skating accident, but the County Fair Queen competition was tonight. Chloe had spent months preparing for the talent portion — a trick riding demonstration on Diablo, the most notoriously stubborn bull this side of the Mississippi River. Now Maya was about to attempt something she'd never done in her life, all because she'd promised to help Chloe practice and now had to step in as her emergency backup.

"You're a really good friend," Leo said, like he was reading her mind. "A crazy friend, but good."

The gate groaned open.

Diablo burst into the arena like bottled lightning — all muscle and fury and horns that could gut her without trying. Maya's stomach dropped through her sneakers. Every instinct screamed RUN, get away, safety first —

But Chloe's voice echoed in her head: *He's just a big grump. Show him you're not scared and he'll chill.*

So instead of running away, Maya ran toward him.

Diablo snorted, tossed his massive head, and froze. For three heart-stopping seconds, Maya locked eyes with a two-thousand-pound animal who could destroy her without breaking a sweat. Then, slowly, he dipped his head.

She didn't complete the full routine Chloe had planned. But by the time Maya slid off Diablo's back five minutes later, hair transformed into a wild halo around her flushed face, the entire crowd was on its feet.

Leo whooped from the sidelines. Chloe texted from her hospital bed: *YOU'RE ACTUALLY INSANE BUT ALSO MY HERO.*

And Maya — Maya felt something shift inside her chest, something bright and electric and undeniable. She'd faced down a literal bull. High school drama had nothing on this.