Strike of Panic

The text came at 3:47 PM: 'u coming 2 the club? every1s there'

Maya stared at her phone, heart already doing that annoying flutter thing. Her first real hangout with the popular crowd since她和 Tyler started talking. Her palms were legit sweating.

'yeah omw'

She threw on her cutest swimsuit—well, her only cute swimsuit—and grabbed her padel racket from the corner of her room. Why had she agreed to play? She'd never picked up a racket in her life. But Tyler had mentioned their group always played after school, and suddenly she was a padel enthusiast. Desperate much?

The club's pool area was already buzzing. Maya spotted them immediately—Tyler in his navy trunks, laughing with Chloe and Marcus by the water's edge. They looked effortless. She felt like a walking anxiety attack.

'There she is!' Tyler waved her over. 'Ready to get destroyed?'

'Maybe take it easy on me, I'm literally brand new.'

'No worries, we'll go easy.' Chloe winked. 'Maybe.'

They moved to the padel courts. Maya's first swing was so bad the ball sailed backward and smacked some poor guy's lounge chair. The group erupted in laughter. Maya's face burned.

But then a streak of lightning split the sky. Actually beautiful purple-white veins across the clouds.

'Shit, everyone out!' A whistle blew. 'Storm coming in fast!'

They scrambled toward the poolside cabana as thunder cracked directly overhead. Rain poured down like the sky was emptying itself all at once. They were huddled together, damp and breathless, when Maya felt something brush her ankle.

A soaked orange cat sat there, looking extremely unimpressed with the weather situation. It blinked slowly at her.

'Is that...?' Tyler squinted. 'That's the owner's cat. He never comes out.'

The cat climbed onto Maya's lap like she was a heated cushion. Tyler's eyes went wide.

'Dude. That cat HATES everyone.'

'Really?' Maya scratched behind its ears. The cat started purring so loud she could feel it vibrating through her legs. 'He seems chill.'

'Chill? He scratched Jackson last week for trying to pet him.'

'Jackson's annoying though,' Chloe said. Everyone laughed.

Tyler shifted closer to her under the cabana roof. Their shoulders touched. Maya's heart did that flutter thing again, but this time it felt different. Less panic, more... right.

'So,' Tyler said, 'you coming back tomorrow? Since the storm killed our game.'

'Maybe.' Maya smiled. 'If the cat's gonna be there.'

The rain kept falling, but Maya didn't mind anymore.