Lightning in a Dead Phone

Maya's hair refused to cooperate. She'd spent forty-five minutes trying to tame the frizz, but now half of it was doing whatever it wanted while the other half sat flat against her scalp. Perfect. Just what she needed for Emma's party — the social event of sophomore year.

She grabbed her iPhone from the bathroom counter. 11% battery. She'd forgotten to charge it again. Whatever. She'd survive without doom-scrolling through TikTok for one night.

Probably.

The bass thumped through Emma's front door before Maya even knocked. Inside, the air smelled like cheap body spray and desperation. The cool kids had already claimed the living room, crowded around the Spotify playlist like it was the Holy Grail. Maya hovered near the snack table, feeling like a zombie — undead, awkward, and somehow still moving through motions she didn't understand.

That's when she saw him.

Lucas Chen. Junior. Varsity soccer. The guy who'd sat behind her in bio last year and never said a word except "your hair's in my way." He was standing alone by the back door, scrolling through his phone like he'd rather be literally anywhere else.

Maya's brain short-circuited. Should she say hi? Should she pretend she needed fresh air? Should she just stand there fake-texting until something happened?

She opted for option three: being a total spy about it. She angled herself toward the chips while keeping Lucas in her peripheral vision. Smooth. James Bond would be proud.

"Enjoying the view?"

Maya jumped, knocking a bag of Doritos off the table. Lucas stood there, smirking. His actual, real-life face was right there.

"I was — I wasn't —"

"Spying on me?" He raised an eyebrow. "Rude."

"No! I mean, yes, but not in a creepy way." Heat rushed to her cheeks. "I just... nobody else is talking to me either, so I figured, why not watch the other loner?"

Lucas laughed. It was a real laugh, not the fake one he used with his soccer friends. "Fair. Want to get out of here?"

"What?"

"Outside. I need air. These people are exhausting." He gestured toward the back door. "Come on."

They ended up on the back porch, sitting on the steps while April clouds gathered overhead. Maya's hair was definitely ruined now, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"I hate parties," Lucas said. "My mom made me come. Said I need to 'work on my social skills.'"

"Same. Emma's been asking me for weeks, and my mom was like 'it'll be good for you' whatever that means." Maya pulled out her iPhone. It had died at 2%. "Great. Now I literally have no excuse to avoid conversation."

Lucas's phone sat dark in his hand too. "Mine's been dead since I got here. Honestly? Kind of freeing."

A flash of lightning split the sky, followed immediately by thunder that rattled the porch railing.

"We should probably go inside," Maya said, but she didn't move.

"In a minute." Lucas leaned back. "This is the most real conversation I've had with anyone in months."

"Same."

Rain started falling, light at first, then harder. They should have moved. They were getting soaked. But Maya just sat there, hair plastering to her face, makeup probably running, feeling more alive than she had all year.

"Your hair's a mess," Lucas said softly.

"Yeah, well." She wiped rain from her eyes. "At least I'm not a zombie anymore."