Storm Warning at Miller's Pool

My beat-up fedora sat crooked on my head—a literal security blanket I refused to ditch, even at Tyler Miller's legendary end-of-summer bash. The hat was practically a member of the family at this point.

"Dude, lose the lid," Maya called from where she lounged poolside, looking effortlessly perfect in her bikini. "You're at a POOL party, not a jazz club."

I adjusted the brim. "It's my brand now. Can't mess with the aesthetic."

She rolled her eyes, but I caught her smiling.

The real reason I kept the hat? It covered the unfortunate haircut I'd given myself three days prior, convinced I could YouTube my way to "effortlessly cool." Spoiler: I could not.

Then the sky went that weird purple-green color that means nature's about to throw down. LIGHTNING cracked somewhere behind the hills, making the pool surface ripple like disturbed mercury.

"Everyone out!" Tyler's dad shouted. "Storm's coming in fast!"

Chaos erupted. People started RUNNING toward the house, grabbing towels and phones. I moved to follow when I spotted Maya's phone sitting alone on a lounge chair—right where a wave of pool water was about to crash from the wind.

I didn't think. I just moved.

Sprinted across the wet concrete, snatched the phone mid-air as another LIGHTNING strike turned the whole world white-knuckled bright. I kept RUNNING, sliding across the slick deck but somehow staying upright.

"Got it!" I yelled, thrusting the phone at Maya as we both scrambled under the patio overhang.

She stared at me, rain plastering my fedora to my head. "You literally just saved my life."

"Just your phone," I said, peeling the ruined hat off and revealing the disaster underneath. "And possibly my dignity."

Maya laughed—not the mean kind, the genuine kind. "You know, you're actually pretty cool without the hat."

Thunder rumbled like the sky was laughing with us. The storm had arrived, but for the first time all summer, I didn't feel like running away from anything.