Orange Lightning Chronicles

Kai's older sister had left her vintage hoodie—bright orange, impossible to miss—in his room by mistake. He should've returned it. But something about wearing it to school made him feel bold, like maybe he wouldn't be just another face in the sophomore hallway.

"Nice look, Kai," Maya called from her locker. She was the kind of girl who made lightning strike in your chest without even trying. "Very... bold."

"Yeah, well, you know," Kai managed, while internally screaming. Maya noticed him. Maya noticed his orange hoodie. This was either the best or worst day of his life.

During third period English, his phone buzzed. A notification from the anonymous school confessions account: "Spotted: mystery sophomore in orange hoodie making eyes at Maya Chen. 💕"

His face burned. Someone was watching. Someone had noticed him noticing her, and now the whole school would know.

"Dude, you're famous," his best friend Jace whispered. "Confessions page just posted about you. You're basically a celebrity now. Or a stalker. Hard to tell."

Kai's stomach twisted. "This isn't funny."

"Relax, they called it 'making eyes,' not 'creepy staring.' There's a difference." Jace paused. "Also, did you see Maya's story? She posted the orange hoodie with the caption 'someone bring me snacks.'"

After school, Kai found Maya waiting by his bike. Her Golden Retriever, Buster, sat beside her, wearing—Kai couldn't believe it—a matching orange bandana.

"So," Maya said, "Buster wanted to meet the famous orange hoodie guy. Also, I may have been the one who sent that confession. You know, to see if you'd actually say something."

Kai blinked. "Wait, you're the—"

"Social media spy?" She grinned. "Guilty. But in my defense, you've been making eyes at me since September, and I was tired of waiting."

Buster chose that moment to sneeze directly on Kai's shoes.

"That's his way of approving," Maya said. "So, snacks? My treat."

As they walked toward the bodega, lightning cracked across the sky. Rain started falling.

"Perfect," Maya said, linking her arm through his. "Now we have an excuse to stay inside longer."