Lightning in Her Palm

Maya's palms were sweating. Like, actually dripping onto her cutoff shorts. Which was gross, but also justified considering Tyler—the cute junior from AP Bio—was standing five feet away at Skylar's backyard party, looking unfairly good in that backward snapback.

"You're literally spiraling," said Jules, fanning herself with a red Solo cup. "Just go talk to him already. Or at least stop staring at his hat like it's got the answers to the final exam."

"I can't just—" Maya started, but then it happened. Tyler caught her eye and actually walked over.

"Hey." He adjusted his hat, something he did when he was nervous. Maya had noticed this because she had noticed literally everything about him since September. "Wanna see something cool?"

He led her to the edge of the driveway, where the streetlamp cast weird shadows on his face. Then he held out his palm and made this clicking sound with his tongue. A tiny bolt of static electricity arced between his thumb and pointer finger.

"No way." Maya grabbed his hand to examine it, then froze. Oh my god, she was holding Tyler's hand. Tyler's hand. Her palms went from sweaty to basically Niagara Falls.

"My grandpa taught me," Tyler said, not pulling away. "Something about the humidity tonight makes the static crazy."

Maya looked up and noticed for the first time that storm clouds were gathering. Real lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating Tyler's face and that ridiculous hat.

"Do it again," she said.

"You try."

She concentrated, palm to palm with him, feeling like maybe the universe was finally giving her a sign. Or maybe just giving her contact dermatitis. But when the static snapped between their hands—bright as lightning, warm as possibility—she didn't care that her hair was probably frizzy from the humidity or that Jules was definitely watching and would never let her live this down.

Because sometimes the most electric moments don't come from grand gestures. Sometimes they're just static charges in a driveway, shared palms, and a boy who makes lightning tricks to get a girl's attention.