Static Electricity at Jordan's Party

My hair was doing that thing where the humidity turned it into a frizz explosion, and of course this had to happen the night Jordan finally noticed me. We were crammed in his basement while the storm outside made the windows rattle like they were scared.

"You okay? You look like you're about to pass out."

I jumped. Jordan was standing there, holding a red solo cup like it was a normal thing for him to talk to me. My palms were sweating so bad I could practically wring them out. This wasn't supposed to happen—I'd spent the whole school year being invisible in the back of Mr. Harrison's English class, and suddenly here I was, heart racing like I'd drunk three energy shots instead of one Sprite.

"Yeah, just, the lightning is kinda intense," I managed, which was the lamest thing I'd ever said in my life.

A flash of white light cracked through the small basement window, illuminating everything in this stark, ghostly way for half a second. In that moment, I saw something move near the laundry pile.

Jordan's cat, Milkshake—a fat orange tabby who usually pretended I didn't exist—came darting out from behind a stack of boxes, spooked by the thunder that followed immediately after. She scrambled straight up my leg, claws digging through my jeans like she thought I was a tree.

"Ow, what the—" I yelped, trying to detach her while somehow still looking cool in front of Jordan.

"Milkshake, chill," Jordan laughed, reaching to help me. Our hands brushed as he grabbed the cat, and for one insane second I thought I literally felt static electricity between us, like the storm outside was somehow charging the air between our palms.

He was still holding the cat, but he was looking at me. "You okay? She can be a total menace when she's scared."

"I'm good," I said, my hair probably a disaster from the chaos, my face burning. "Just thought I'd get attacked by a demon cat tonight. No big."

Jordan grinned, and I could feel myself grinning back like an idiot. "Yeah, well, at least it wasn't worse. Could've been the lightning instead."

Another flash lit up the room, and this time neither of us flinched.