Static Electric Summer

Maya's palms were sweating. Like, actually dripping. Which was gross, but also understandable considering Tyler was five feet away and looking stupidly hot in his swim trunks.

"You're doing it again," whispered Kae, her best friend since seventh grade. "The thing where you stare and then look away dramatically like you're in a music video."

"Shut up," Maya hissed, fanning her hands. "My hands are literally malfunctioning."

The pool party was in full swing—literally, people were doing cannonballs off the diving board. The water sparkled like someone had dumped glitter in it, which was exactly the kind of basic description Maya would've written in her journal three years ago. Now she just felt awkward standing at the edge in her oversized t-shirt, watching everyone else live their best lives.

Then the sky opened up.

Not like, a little rain. Like, ACTUAL chaos. The sky turned that weird purple-green color that means you should probably go inside. But nobody did because teenagers are dumb and immortal, obviously.

A crack of **lightning** split the sky, closer than was strictly safe. Someone screamed—playfully, mostly—and then everyone was rushing toward the covered patio. Maya got shoved toward the shallow end, and then Tyler was there, grabbing her arm to steady her.

"Whoa," he said, "you good?"

Her brain short-circuited. "Yes. Perfectly. Normal amount of good."

"Your hands," he said, and then his face got weird. "Not in a weird way! Just—you're shaking."

Oh god. Her palms. Sweaty AND trembling. The double whammy of social anxiety.

She pulled away. "I'm fine. Just—cold."

"In August?" He raised an eyebrow. "Bold claim."

Then he did something unexpected. He held out his own hand, **palm** up. "High five for surviving that near-death experience?"

Maya stared at his hand. It was warm and dry and completely unbothered by existence. Meanwhile she was over here having a whole crisis.

She slapped her palm against his. The contact sent a little jolt through her, like static electricity but different. Better.

"**Lightning** in a bottle," he said, grinning.

"That is the nerdiest thing anyone has ever said to me," Maya replied, but she was smiling back.

The rain pounded against the patio roof, the **water** creating a curtain around them. Everyone else was occupied with their own drama—Jade was crying over her ex AGAIN, some sophomores were arguing about Fortnite—but Maya and Tyler just stood there, hands touching, electric and awkward and perfect.

"Hey," he said, "want to get out of here? There's this donut place—"

"Yes," Maya said, before he could finish. "A thousand times yes."

Her palms were still sweating. But as they ran through the rain toward his car, she figured some things were worth a little awkwardness.