Static at the Carnival

Maya's palms were sweating so much she could barely grip the dollar bill. Stupid summer carnival, stupid Josh with his stupid perfect hair, and stupid palm reading booth that her bestie dared her to try.

"Your love line's interesting," the psychic lady said, all mysterious smiles and too much eyeliner. "I see water — lots of it. And lightning. Something electric coming."

Maya snorted so hard she almost choked on her own spit. "Right. Because that's not the vaguest prediction ever."

She found Josh by the water balloon stand, exactly where she knew he'd be. His hair was doing that thing where it fell across his forehead and she literally couldn't deal.

"Hey," he said, grinning. "Wanna help me destroy Marcus in this water fight? He's talking so much trash right now."

"ALWAYS," Maya said, because destroying Marcus at literally anything was her favorite pastime.

The water balloon war was chaos — her favorite kind. She nailed Marcus right in the chest, Josh got splashed in the face, everyone was screaming and laughing and dripping wet. Maya's hair was a disaster and she didn't even care.

Then Josh grabbed her hand. His palm was warm and sort of perfect against hers.

"You got something," he said, reaching to wipe water from her cheek.

Their faces were so close. So incredibly, impossibly close.

LIGHTNING cracked across the sky — actual, literal lightning — and everyone screamed. The carnival lights flickered. Rain started pouring down like the sky was personally offended.

They ran for cover under the carnival booth overhangs, soaking wet, breathless, laughing so hard their sides hurt. Josh's hair was plastered to his forehead and Maya knew hers looked ridiculous.

"So," Josh said, still catching his breath. "That psychic lady told me something about water and lightning too."

Maya's heart did that skippy thing it always did around him. "Yeah? What else she say?"

He leaned in closer. "She said I should just kiss you already."

The thunder was still rumbling, rain was still coming down in sheets, and suddenly Maya wasn't nervous at all.

"Well," she said. "Psychics know their stuff."