Neon Orange Lightning

Maya's hair was supposed to be a subtle auburn highlight. Instead, she looked like a traffic cone.

"That's... bold," said Marcus, trying not to laugh as they sat by the community pool, legs dangling in the water. His basketball jersey was the exact same neon orange as her hair.

Maya groaned, pulling her hood up. "My mom's gonna kill me. I have freshman orientation in three days."

"At least you'll be memorable?" Marcus offered, splashing water at her.

"Yeah, 'that orange-haired freak' — perfect first impression."

The truth was, Maya was already nervous enough about high school without looking like a radioactive Cheeto. She'd spent the whole summer overthinking everything — what to wear, who to sit with at lunch, whether she'd make any real friends or just float through like she had in middle school.

Then the sky went purple-green. A storm was rolling in fast.

"We should probably go," Marcus said, grabbing his towel.

"Wait." Maya stared at the horizon. Lightning cracked across the sky — not the usual bolt, but something that looked like a bear made of electricity, mid-roar. "Did you see that?"

"See what?"

"The lightning. It looked like... like a bear charging."

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "You okay?"

Maya stood up, water dripping from her legs. "No, seriously. It was like this sign or something. Bears are fierce. They don't care what anyone thinks."

"You're comparing yourself to magical storm bears now?"

"I'm just saying..." Maya pulled her hood down, letting her ridiculous orange hair catch what was left of the sun. "Maybe I don't have to hide it. Maybe I just own it. Like, yeah, I made a mistake with the hair dye. So what?"

Marcus grinned. "You know what? You kind of do look fierce. Like a storm bear."

Maya laughed for real this time. "Shut up."

"No, I'm serious. Everyone's gonna be so busy worrying about themselves that they won't even notice. And if they do? Whatever. You're the girl with the orange hair who owned it."

Another flash of lightning split the sky as the first raindrop fell.

"Race you to your house!" Maya took off running, orange hair flying behind her like a banner she'd finally decided to wave.