Lightning Strike at Miller's Party

Marcus felt like a straight-up zombie, three weeks into junior year with zero hours of sleep and infinite AP homework. His cat Luna was the only thing keeping him sane—she'd sit on his chest during his nightly existential crises, purring like she understood his whole deal.

"You going to Tyler's party tonight?" his best friend Rico asked, leaning against his locker. "He rented a mechanical bull. It's gonna be legendary."

Marcus hesitated. Parties weren't really his vibe. Too many people, too much performing. But he'd been trying to step out of his comfort zone lately. Also, he really wanted to see Maya—the girl who sat behind him in calc, who somehow made solving derivatives look like an art form.

"Yeah," Marcus said. "Why not?"

The party was exactly what he expected: too loud, too crowded, everyone pretending to be someone they weren't. Maya was there, looking devastatingly good in a vintage band tee. Marcus's stomach did actual gymnastics.

Then he saw Chad—the biggest bull at their school, both literally and metaphorically—cornering Maya near the drinks. Chad was that guy who thought being loud made him right, who made everything feel like a contest.

Marcus's hands started sweating. He should walk away. But Maya looked uncomfortable, and suddenly Marcus was moving across the room before he could overthink it.

"Hey," he said, voice steadier than he felt. "Maya, you wanna check out that mechanical bull? I heard it's hilarious."

Chad rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

But Maya's face lit up. "Yes!"

They ended up on the back patio just as a summer storm rolled in. The first lightning strike illuminated everything—Maya's laugh, the way she looked at him like she actually saw him, not the zombie version of himself he'd been feeling like lately.

"You know," she said, "I was hoping you'd show up tonight."

Marcus's brain short-circuited. "Wait, really?"

"Yeah. You're not like everyone else," she said, as another flash of lightning turned the backyard silver-white. "You're real."

They sat on the porch steps as rain started falling, watching the storm together. Marcus's cat was probably asleep in his windowsill at home, but suddenly he didn't feel quite so zombie-fied anymore.

Sometimes, he thought, lightning actually does strike twice.