Poolside Lightning

The pool at the Henderson Community Center had seen better days. The paint was peeling in long strips like sunburned skin, and the water always smelled faintly of chlorine and teenage anxiety. But it was where everyone hung out, which meant it was where Maya had to be.

Even if Jake was there with his new girlfriend, Brittany, who wore a bikini two sizes too small and laughed like she knew secrets about everyone.

"You okay, Maya?" Chen asked, flicking water at her from the edge. "You've been staring at the diving board like it personally offended you."

Maya dunked her head underwater to hide her flushing face. When she surfaced, Chen was still there, looking annoyingly perceptive. He was the kind of guy who'd randomly show up to school wearing a bear costume during spirit week and somehow make it cool.

"I'm fine," she said, which was exactly what someone who was definitely not fine would say. "Just thinking about how I can't believe we're still swimming here. We're literally too old for this place."

"Speak for yourself." Chen grinned. "I'm living my best aquatic life. Also, Brittany looks like she's about to drown in her own foundation, so that's entertainment."

Maya snorted before she could stop herself. That was the problem with Chen—he made her laugh when she was supposed to be feeling tragic and misunderstood.

Then she saw it. Jake and Brittany were making out by the snack bar, and someone had obviously left their childhood stuffed bear sitting on a nearby table. Jake's face kept brushing against this ridiculous, waterlogged teddy with one eye missing.

"Is that... a bear?" Maya whispered.

"A bold fashion statement," Chen said solemnly. "Very avant-garde."

The storm that had been threatening all afternoon finally broke. Lightning cracked across the sky like something splitting open, and rain began hammering down on the pool deck. Everyone screamed and scrambled for cover.

Maya found herself squeezed under the snack bar overhang with Chen, their shoulders touching, both soaked to the bone. Jake and Brittany were nowhere to be seen—probably ran to Brittany's car.

"You know," Chen said softly, "sometimes things that feel like the end of the world are actually just... lightning clearing the air."

Maya looked at him, really looked at him, and something sparked through her chest that had nothing to do with storms or heartbreak or stupid boys who chose Brittanys.

"You're not so bad, Chen," she said.

"I'll take that as a compliment," he said, and as another flash of lightning illuminated his smile, Maya thought maybe—just maybe—there were worse places to be stuck than a community pool in the rain.