Smash and Flash

Maya smoothed her frizzy hair for the fifth time, staring at her reflection in the darkened phone screen. Three percent battery. Perfect.

"You going to that padel thing or what?" her sister called from the hallway.

"Yeah, yeah." Maya grabbed her charging cable and shoved it in her pocket. Like she'd actually need it. She'd be too busy hyperventilating to check Instagram.

The community center courts were already buzzing when she arrived. Jake was there, leaning against the fence, laughing with his friends. His hair was perfect, obviously. Some people just won the genetic lottery.

"Maya!" He waved her over. "Saved you a spot."

Her stomach did that annoying fluttery thing. She'd been crushing on Jake since seventh grade, when he'd let her borrow his pen and then said "keep it" like it was nothing.

"Hey." She tried to sound casual. Failed.

They started hitting the ball back and forth. Maya was actually decent at padel—she and her dad played every weekend—but her hands were sweating so much she could barely grip the racket.

"You're good," Jake said after she nailed a corner shot.

"My dad's obsessed," she shrugged. "We play every Sunday."

"Cool. My dad's more of a couch potato type. Unless you count yelling at the TV as exercise."

Maya laughed. Then:

CRACK.

Lightning split the sky beyond the courts, so bright it left spots in her vision. A second later, thunder shook the ground.

"Everyone inside!" the coach yelled.

They sprinted for the covered area, rain already pelting down. Maya's hair was instantly destroyed, frizzing into a halo around her head. Great. Just great.

Jake was grinning at her, water dripping from his eyelashes. "Your hair's sort of... epic right now."

"Epic bad or epic good?"

"Epic like you don't care what anyone thinks."

Maya blinked. She did care. She cared a lot. But maybe he couldn't tell.

"My sister's goldfish has more chill than me," she admitted. "I overthink everything."

"Same though." He leaned closer. "I haven't slept properly in three days because I keep thinking about how I'm gonna mess up my history presentation."

The rain kept hammering the roof. People were shouting, checking phones, complaining about getting wet. But it felt like they were in their own little bubble.

"Hey Jake?" she said, heart pounding harder than the thunder outside. "You want to come over after the storm? We could... I don't know, study for that history thing?"

He smiled, and it wasn't his usual polite smile. It was real.

"Yeah. I'd like that."