Lightning in the Inning

Marcus stood at the edge of the pool, clutching his childhood bear like a total loser. He was fifteen, way too old for this stuff, but Jordan had dared him during spin the bottle and now he was stuck. The bear's name was Thunder—ironic, considering the actual thunder cracking overhead.

"You gonna jump or what?" yelled Tyler from the hot tub, surrounded by the popular kids. Marcus had been Tyler's friend since kindergarten, but lately Tyler had been leveling up socially while Marcus remained NPC status.

Jordan watched him with those stupid pretty eyes that made Marcus's brain malfunction. She'd been crushing on Tyler since baseball season started, and Marcus had zero chance. Still, here he was, about to do something dumb just to make her laugh.

The sky opened up. Not rain—straight-up waterfall conditions. Someone screamed and lightning flashed so bright the whole yard turned white-blue. The pool water churned like something alive.

"YO!" Tyler shouted, scrambling out of the hot tub. "Everybody inside! NOW!"

Marcus hesitated. The bear stared at him with one button eye. Suddenly he realized—he could blame the bear. Like, literally blame it for whatever happened next.

He launched himself into the pool, bear and all. The water was cold-shock amazing, and for three seconds he felt invincible. Then he surfaced, sputtering, to find everyone standing on the patio staring.

Jordan laughed. Not mean laughing—actual, genuine laughing, doubled over like she couldn't breathe.

"You're insane," she said when Marcus climbed out, dripping everywhere, bear still clutched in his grip.

"The bear made me do it," Marcus said, and Jordan laughed harder.

Later, when everyone else was watching movies and Tyler was being Tyler, Jordan sat next to Marcus on the basement floor.

"That was actually kind of badass," she said quietly. "Tyler would never do something that extra."

Marcus's heart did that stupid flutter thing. He looked at his waterlogged bear, then at Jordan, and thought: maybe being the extra one wasn't the worst thing.

Outside, lightning flashed again, and this time Marcus didn't even flinch.