Static & Wild Things

The text came through at 11:47 PM: 'party @ jax's. u coming?'

Maya stared at her ceiling, heart doing that weird fluttery thing it always did when *his* name popped up on her phone. Jax. The guy she'd been low-key crushing on since seventh grade, when he'd let her borrow his pen in math and she'd pretended not to notice how good he smelled.

Outside, lightning split the sky — summer storms in the midwest were extra dramatic like that. Her phone buzzed again. 'fox says ur not coming lol'

Fox. That's what everyone called Sasha, with her sly smile and the way she could talk anyone into anything. Sasha, who had somehow already hooked up with three different guys this summer while Maya was still trying to figure out how to flirt without looking like a complete dweeb.

Maya grabbed her hoodie. Her mom was asleep — she'd hear the door open, but whatever. Some things were worth getting grounded for.

The party was alreadylit when she slipped through Jax's back door. Bass thumping, people crowded into the kitchen, that electric feeling of possibilities hanging in the air. She spotted Sasha immediately, of course, holding court like she always did, surrounded by guys hanging on her every word.

'Look who finally showed up,' Sasha called out, grinning. 'We were just taking bets on whether you'd actually come through.'

Maya felt her face heating up. Why did Sasha always have to make everything weird?

'There she is!' Jax appeared behind Sasha, and something in Maya's stomach did this full-on gymnastics routine. 'Maya, hey — I didn't think you'd actually come.'

'Surprise?' she managed, hating how her voice squeaked.

Jax's basement was dim, lit by those LED strip lights everyone had. They ended up on the couch, knees touching accidentally-on-purpose, and Maya was pretty sure she stopped breathing entirely.

'So,' he said, 'I heard you got into that writing program.'

She blinked. 'How did you —'

'Sasha told me,' he shrugged. 'She thinks you're, like, actually good. Which is high praise coming from her, you know? She doesn't hype anyone.'

Something warm and confusing bloomed in Maya's chest. Sasha — who always seemed to have everything Maya wanted — had been talking her up?

'You okay?' Jax asked, and he reached out, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. His fingers brushed her cheek and time literally stopped.

'Yeah,' she breathed. 'More than okay.'

His phone buzzed. 'Ugh, my mom's calling. One sec.'

Maya watched him disappear up the stairs, heart racing like she'd just run a marathon. Sasha slid onto the couch beside her, looking unusually serious.

'Taking the bull by the horns, huh?' Sasha smirked, but her eyes were kind. 'You got this.'

'You told him about the writing program?' Maya asked, stunned.

'Obviously.' Sasha rolled her eyes. 'You think you're the only one who's been crushing? Please. Some of us aren't total cowards.'

Maya's jaw actually dropped. 'Wait — you LIKE him too?'

'Ew, no!' Sasha made a face. 'Not like *that*. But you're my best friend, Maya? I'm not gonna let you miss your shot just because you're overthinking everything. That's, like, your whole brand.'

Outside, more lightning flashed, illuminating everything in this brief, brilliant moment. Jax was coming back down the stairs. Sasha was standing up, giving Maya space. And suddenly Maya understood — some things really were just as simple as showing up.

'So,' Jax said, dropping back onto the couch beside her, his knee pressing against hers again, 'you want to get out of here? There's this spot by the creek where you can actually see the stars.'

Maya looked at Sasha, who was already walking away, throwing a thumbs-up over her shoulder. She looked back at Jax, with his crooked smile and the way he looked at her like she was someone worth waiting for.

'Yeah,' Maya said, and it felt like the easiest thing in the world. 'I'd love that.'