Storm Light

Sixteen-year-old Kae clutched her iphone like a life raft at Taylor's end-of-year party. The screen showed 47 unread texts, but her eyes kept darting to the bedroom door where everyone was having actual fun. Outside, summer lightning flashed across the sky in jagged streaks, making the room pulse with ghostly light.

'Stop doom-scrolling and come downstairs,' said Jordan, flopping onto the bed beside her. He was the only friend who'd noticed she'd been hiding up here for forty minutes.

Kae groaned. 'I can't. Everyone's doing that pyramid thing.' She gestured toward the window where, down on the lawn, a dozen seniors were arranging themselves into a human pyramid for photos. 'It's giving major cringe energy and I refuse to participate.'

Jordan laughed. 'Nobody actually cares about the pyramid, Kae. They're just waiting for you.' He nudged her shoulder. 'Remember last year when I wouldn't go to homecoming because I was scared I'd look stupid? You literally dragged me out of your car and made me dance.'

'That was different.'

'Was it?' Jordan sat up. 'You're overthinking everything again. Just come down. If it gets awkward, we'll bail. No big deal.'

Another flash of lightning lit up the room, closer this time. Thunder rumbled through the floorboards.

Kae's phone buzzed. A text from her mom: 'Coming home soon?' She didn't want to go home. She didn't want to stay upstairs. She wanted to be the kind of person who could just exist without calculating every move.

She locked her phone and stood up. 'Fine. But if anyone tries to put me at the bottom of that pyramid, I'm leaving.'

Jordan grinned. 'Deal.'

As they headed downstairs, Kae's phone stayed in her pocket. Outside, the storm was breaking. The lightning had passed, leaving behind that clean, washed-air feeling that comes after rain. For the first time all night, she wasn't thinking about how she looked or what people thought of her. She was just walking toward the noise and the laughter, next to the friend who always made sure she was included.