Static & Sparks

Maya floated in the **pool**, fingers trailing through the water, pretending not to notice Caleb sitting on the deck with his friends. The Friday night hangout at Jen's house was supposed to be chill, but everything felt charged lately. Ever since Caleb had called her "Sphinx" in AP English—because she never spoke up in class but always knew the answers—she'd been hyper-aware of his existence.

"Your phone's blowing up," Chloe said, paddling over. "Again."

Maya submerged herself to escape the notification barrage. When she surfaced, gasping, Caleb was standing at the **pool** edge, dangling his feet in the water.

"Hey, Sphinx," he said, grinning. "Jen's parents' **cable** is out again. wanna watch a movie on the projector instead?"

Her stomach did that annoying flutter thing. "Sure."

They ended up squeezed together on the outdoor couch under blankets, watching some horror movie Jen had picked. Maya was acutely aware of Caleb's shoulder pressed against hers, the way he laughed at the jump scares, how he smelled like chlorine and something woodsy. This was exactly what she'd wanted all summer, and simultaneously exactly what she couldn't handle.

Then the first crack of **lightning** split the sky, violet and immediate.

Everyone screamed. The projector flickered and died. Total darkness.

Caleb's hand found hers in the dark, warm and steady. "You good?"

"Yeah," she managed, heart racing for entirely different reasons now. The rain started, warm and sudden, and nobody moved to go inside. They sat there as **lightning** flashed again, illuminating Caleb's face, his concerned expression, the way he was looking at her like she was a puzzle he wanted to solve.

"You know why I call you Sphinx?" he said quietly.

"Because I'm mysterious and annoying?"

"Because every time you actually speak, it's something brilliant. But you hide it." He squeezed her hand. "I'm trying to figure you out."

Maybe, Maya thought, as the **lightning** lit up the whole backyard, she didn't have to be a riddle anymore.

"Ask me anything," she said, and the rain drowned out whatever nervousness might've stopped her before.