Orange Lightning Summer

The heat wave had turned the community pool into a writhing mass of teenagers, all desperate to escape the ninety-degree afternoon. Maya adjusted her oversized bucket hat, pulling the brim down like a shield. Being the new kid sucked, but being the new kid in July when everyone already had their friend groups locked in? That was next-level awkward.

She spotted him across the pool area—Ethan, the guy who'd accidentally knocked over her tray in the cafeteria last week. He was wearing that bright orange swimsuit that somehow made him look more confident than anyone had a right to be on their first week at a new school. He was currently holding court with the popular crowd, their laughter floating over the chlorine-scented air like they owned the place.

"May "Maya!" Her older brother's voice cut through her thoughts. "Mom says you have to watch the little terror at the deep end."

Her little cousin Leo, who'd been adopted into their family last year, was already cannonballing into the water with zero regard for personal safety. The kid was fearless, which Maya respected, even if it meant she had to play lifeguard.

That's when it happened.

A crack of thunder shook the ground. The lifeguard's whistle pierced through the chaos—everyone out of the pool, NOW. Lightning, purple and angry, split the sky above them. The pool area erupted into motion, towels and bodies scattering toward the covered pavilion.

Maya grabbed Leo's arm, pulling him toward shelter, when she saw Ethan—his orange swimsuit making him impossible to miss—struggling to help the pool manager drag out the massive inflatable bull that had been floating in the deep end. The thing was huge, and with the wind picking up, it was turning into a disaster waiting to happen.

Without thinking, Maya rushed over. "I've got the left side!"

Together, they wrestled the bull toward the equipment shed as the first fat drops of rain began to fall. By the time they secured it behind the locked door, both of them were soaked and breathless.

Ethan pushed his wet hair back, grinning. "Nice work. You're Maya, right? From lunch last week?"

"Yeah. Sorry about your pizza."

"Nah, it was overdue for a floor nap anyway." He leaned against the shed wall as rain hammered the metal roof above them. "So, new kid. You surviving summer school prep?"

"Barely." Maya adjusted her hat again, but this time she tilted it back, actually meeting his eyes. "It's a lot."

"Tell me about it." He gestured toward the pavilion where his friends were gathered. "They act like they own everything, but honestly? Most of them are just pretending. You're not missing much."

The rain intensified, drowning out everything else, and for the first time since moving to this town, Maya didn't feel like the awkward new kid. She was just Maya, girl who helped secure a giant inflatable bull during a thunderstorm, orange swimsuit guy by her side.

"Hey," Ethan said as the lightning flashed closer. "Want to meet up at the pool tomorrow? Before the lifeguards show up? It's actually pretty peaceful when it's not chaos mode."

Maya smiled, and for once, it wasn't the nervous kind. "Only if you promise not to knock over my lunch."

"No promises," he laughed. "But I'll bring extra napkins."