Sparks and Thunder

Marcus stood at the edge of the pool, clutching his iPhone like it was a lifeline. The screen showed Jenna's text from five minutes ago: *are you coming??*

"Bro, you good?" Ty called from the water, where a human pyramid of three guys was wobbling dangerously. "We're about to swim to the deep end."

"Yeah," Marcus lied, sliding his phone onto the poolside table. His stomach did that thing it always did around Jenna—the fluttery, terrifying feeling that had nothing to do with the dark clouds gathering overhead.

He'd been crushing on Jenna since eighth grade, and tonight was the night. Summer was ending, and if he didn't make a move now, he'd spend another school year watching her laugh with someone else from across the cafeteria.

Thunder rumbled in the distance. Someone's mom yelled about the weather report—storms moving in fast.

Marcus jumped in, the cool water shocking his nerves. He swam toward Jenna, who was treading water near the diving board.

"Hey," he said, coming up beside her. Smooth, Marcus. Truly inspirational.

"Hey!" Jenna smiled, and his heart did something illegal. "I was hoping you'd show."

He blinked. "You were?"

"Obviously." She splashed him. "I've been waiting for you to notice me all summer, Marcus."

Lightning cracked across the sky, illuminating the pool in flashes of electric blue. The lifeguard's whistle shrilled. Everyone out, NOW.

As they scrambled for the exits, Marcus spotted something on the table—his charging cable, still plugged into the wall, with his iPhone sitting in a puddle where rain had started falling.

"My phone!" He lunged for it, unplugging everything just as another lightning strike hit close by. The outdoor lights flickered and died.

Jenna laughed as they huddled under the picnic shelter. "That was actually kind of heroic."

"Saved it from certain death," Marcus said, checking his screen. "No cap."

"Can I see you tomorrow?" Jenna asked, suddenly serious. "Like, actually hang out? Just us?"

The storm raged outside, but Marcus felt like he was floating. "Bet."

Somewhere behind them, Ty's voice carried through the rain: "MY PYRAMID COLLAPSED AND NO ONE CARES ABOUT MY EMOTIONAL DAMAGES!"

They laughed, and Marcus realized maybe terrifying first experiences weren't so bad after all.