Poolside Lightning Strike

The swimming pool at Jason's end-of-summer bash looked like something out of a movie, which was unfortunate because I felt like the awkward extra who'd wandered onto set by mistake. I'd been crushing on Maya since seventh grade, and tonight was supposedly my night to finally make a move.

Instead, I was hovering near the snack table, watching her laugh at something Chad said while doing that hair-flip thing that should've been copyrighted.

"You look like you're about to puke," said Fox, this sophomore girl who'd earned her nickname by being sneaky-smart about everything. "Fix your posture. You're slumping like you've been shot."

"I'm not slumping," I lied, even though I definitely was.

Then it happened—the cable that someone had stretched across the patio for the outdoor speakers finally caught someone's ankle. Chad went down hard, spilling his Solo cup all over Maya's shoes. The backup playlist cut out mid-song.

Everyone froze.

And that's when the first crack of lightning split the sky, so bright it cast everything in this strobe-light freeze-frame. I saw Maya's expression—this mix of horror and stifled laughter—and I just went.

"Maya, you wanna get out of here?" I called over the thunder. "My basement has cable and my mom made snickerdoodles."

She didn't even hesitate. "YES."

We bolted through the backyard as another lightning strike transformed the neighborhood into something surreal and silver-glowing. The swimming pool reflected every flash like a mirror to another world.

We didn't talk about Chad. We didn't talk about my weird invite. We just ran through the summer storm, and when Maya slipped on the wet grass and I caught her arm, she looked at me with this expression I'd been waiting three years to see.

"You're actually pretty smooth when you stop overthinking everything," she said, squeezing my hand as the rain poured down. "Fox is right—you're not hopeless."

The storm was the best thing that could've happened. Sometimes the universe throws lightning at you just to make sure you're finally paying attention.