Static Electricity Summer

The community pool parking lot was basically where my entire social life happened that summer. Me and Kai, leaning against his mom's minivan, sharing lukewarm Sprite while everyone else was actually inside swimming. I was the new kid, still figuring out my place, and Kai had adopted me like a stray puppy.

'You're not gonna go in?' he asked, nodding toward the pool entrance where half our sophomore class was probably having the time of their lives.

'Nah,' I said. 'Not really feeling it today.'

Truth was, I wasn't feeling much of anything those days. Moving halfway through high school will do that to you — strip away whatever confidence you thought you had and replace it with constant low-level anxiety.

Kai stretched his arms behind his head, all casual-like. 'You know, Maya was asking about you earlier.'

I perked up. Maya Chen, who sat behind me in bio and had that laugh that made everything feel okay. 'Yeah?'

'She thinks you're cute,' he said, grinning. 'But also kind of... mysterious? Since you never talk to anyone.'

I was about to respond when the sky just cracked open. This massive bolt of lightning hit the transformer down the street, and suddenly everything went electric blue for this microsecond that felt like forever. The pool area screamed. Car alarms went haywire.

And in that flash, I saw it — the way Kai was looking at me. Not like some random friend he'd picked up out of boredom. Like he was waiting for something.

'Dude,' I said, as the parking lot flickered back to normal. 'Did you plan that?'

'Plan what?'

'The lightning. Maya. Whatever this is.'

He laughed, but it sounded different than before. Nervous? 'I might have mentioned to Maya that you'd be out here today instead of in there with everyone else. And I might have known this storm was coming.' He shrugged. 'Weather app, bro. Not magic.'

The rain started coming down, proper sheets of it, and we both ducked into the minivan. 'So,' I said, as thunder rattled the windows. 'You trying to set me up or something?'

'Maybe,' Kai said, staring straight ahead. 'Or maybe I just wanted my friend to actually talk to people instead of being weird and mysterious all summer.' He glanced at me sideways. 'Your move.'

My phone buzzed. Unknown number: *Hey this is Maya from bio. Kai said you're out front?*

The lightning outside flashed again, less dramatic this time. Sometimes the universe really does just give you a sign.

'Tell me about the weather app again,' I said.

Kai grinned. 'It's got a seven-day forecast. Tomorrow's supposed to be sunny. Just saying.'