Storm Surges and Strays

Maya's phone buzzed with another text from the group chat. *Pool party at Jake's. 2pm. Be there or be square.*

She stared at her ceiling fan, anxiety doing somersaults in her stomach. Maya didn't do pools. Didn't do swimsuits. Didn't do the whole "look at my body" thing that freshman year seemed to demand.

Outside her window, a stray cat—a scraggly black thing with one ear—sat on the fire escape, watching her like it knew all her secrets. She'd named him Midnight because she was original like that.

"You're judging me, aren't you?" Maya muttered. Midnight flicked his tail.

The sky purpled, that weird calm-before-disaster color. Weather app said thunderstorms rolling in by four. Perfect excuse to bail.

*Sorry guys, weather's crazy*

Her thumb hovered over send. Then her mom's voice echoed in her head: "Maya, when did you become so afraid of everything?"

She threw on her cover-up and grabbed her bike. Midnight meowed at her like a disappointed parent.

Jake's backyard was already buzzing. Kids everywhere, music bumping, chlorine and sunscreen smells. Maya hovered by the fence, heart hammering. Chloe—picture-perfect Chloe who'd had a glow-up since middle school—splashed Jake, laughing.

"Maya! Finally!" Jake waved her over. "Water's perfect!"

Maya's feet inched toward the pool. One step. Two.

*CRACK.*

Lightning split the sky—close enough that the hair on her arms stood up. Everyone screamed, laughter turning to chaos as the first fat drops splattered the concrete.

"Inside, NOW!" Jake's mom yelled from the back door.

They scrambled, grabbing towels, phones, shoes. In the rush, Maya noticed something moving near the edge of the property—a shadow, small and shaking.

Midnight. The stupid cat had followed her.

He was cowering under a bush, terrified as the sky opened up.

Maya didn't think. Just grabbed him—wet, trembling, yowling—and bolted inside, her bare feet slipping on wet grass, cover-up soaked through, heart racing with something that wasn't fear for once.

She burst through the back door, water dripping everywhere, holding a furious cat like a football.

Everyone stared.

Chloe's eyes went wide. "Did you just—during lightning?"

"Yeah," Maya breathed, setting Midnight down on a towel. "Yeah, I did."

Someone fist-bumped her. Jake's mom brought the cat a saucer of milk. For once, nobody was looking at Maya's body or her cover-up or anything else. They were just looking at her like she was a person who'd done something cool.

Maya realized she was shaking, but not from fear anymore.

Outside, lightning flashed again. This time, she didn't look away.