Lightning in the Deep End

Maya stood at the edge of the pool, her heart racing faster than if she'd been running a marathon without training. The graduation pool party. The ultimate social minefield of sophomore year.

"You coming in or what?" called Tyler from the water, droplets cascading down his stupidly perfect abs. Maya had been crushing on him since Bio Lab, when he'd helped her rescue that escaped fruit fly without laughing at her panic attack.

"Maybe later," Maya mumbled, clutching her towel like a lifeline. Swimming had never been her thing. Not since fifth grade, when she'd frozen during the lessons and everyone had kept waiting while she'd hyperventilated at the pool's edge.

The sky darkened. Someone's phone weather app pinged.

"Storm's rolling in," announced Jenna, the self-appointed party authority. "Twenty minutes."

Perfect. Maya could wait it out, avoid the awkwardness of exposing her pasty legs and total lack of pool skills. Then go home with her dignity intact.

But then she saw it—Jenna and her friends whispering near the snack table, eyes darting toward Maya. Snickers. Maya knew that look. They were probably talking about how she was too scared to swim, too basic for Tyler's crowd, too whatever.

Something inside her snapped. Or maybe it was just that she was tired of being the girl who watched from the edges.

The first crack of lightning split the sky as Maya dropped her towel. She marched toward the pool, ignoring Tyler's surprised "Whoa, Maya?" as she stepped onto the diving board.

Her knees shook. The water looked deeper than she remembered. Everyone was watching now.

Another lightning flash illuminated the pool's surface like a strobe light. In that split second, Maya realized something: the worst that could happen was awkwardness. And she was already soaking in it.

She jumped.

The cold shock knocked the breath out of her. Then she was surfacing, gasping, while Tyler and half the class cheered. Jenna's whisper group had gone silent.

"You okay?" Tyler asked, swimming closer.

"Yeah," Maya said, treading water like she'd been doing it forever. "Actually, yeah."

The real storm broke five minutes later, scattering everyone inside. But as Maya gathered her stuff, her legs trembling for a completely different reason now, she caught Tyler's eye. He smiled.

"Same time next week?" he asked.

Maya grinned, feeling electric all over. "Definitely."