Orange Lightning

Maya adjusted the straps of her denim jacket, heart doing that stupid flutter thing every time she looked two rows ahead at Ryan—aka Fox, thanks to his copper hair and the way he slipped through crowded hallways like he was on a mission.

The school bus lurched over a pothole. Someone's backpack tipped over, spilling an orange onto the floor. It rolled toward Maya, stopping right against her beat-up Converse. Great. Just her luck—literally and figuratively.

"You gonna grab that, or are you gonna marry it?" Ryan's voice came from behind her. When did—

She turned, and there he was, sliding into the seat across the aisle. His eyes were that intense amber color, like honey mixed with trouble.

"Ha ha," Maya deadpanned, but her cheeks were burning. She handed him the orange. "Lost your lunch, Fox?"

"My mom thinks fruit is a food group," he said, peeling it with practiced fingers. "Want half?"

The museum looming ahead looked like something out of an Indiana Jones movie. Massive stone columns. Ancient mysteries. Exactly where Maya didn't want to be—stuck with her AP World History class, pretending to care about civilizations that died before her grandparents were born.

Mr. Henderson herded them toward the Egyptian exhibit. "The Great Sphinx," he announced, voice echoing off the cavernous ceilings. "Guardian of secrets. Riddle-master. Does anyone know what it represents?"

Maya's hand went up before she could stop herself. "Wisdom. Power. The eternal question of who we are and what we're meant to become."

Ryan was looking at her now, really looking at her. Not at Chloe, whose glossed lips were parted in obvious boredom. Not at Jason, who was definitely texting under his hoodie. At Maya.

"Damn," he mouthed.

The group moved to a miniature pyramid replica. Someone—probably Jason—snorted. "Looks like something I built in Minecraft."

"It's a tomb," Maya said, surprising herself. "But also a statement. Like, 'I was here, and I mattered enough to build something that would last forever.'"

Ryan nodded slowly. "That's... kinda deep, actually."

Outside, lightning cracked across the sky. Summer storm rolling in. The air smelled like rain and possibility.

"Hey," Ryan said as they headed back to the bus. "You think maybe we could—I don't know—study together sometime? For Henderson's test?"

Maya's heart did that flutter thing again, but this time she leaned into it.

"Only if you bring more oranges, Fox."

He grinned, and for the first time all day, Maya didn't feel invisible. She felt like lightning—striking, impossible to ignore, and absolutely electric.