Strike Zone, Heart Zone

Maya sat in the bleachers, supposedly watching her brother's baseball game, but really she was just staring at her iPhone. The screen showed Jordan's Instagram story—him looking effortlessly cool at some party she hadn't been invited to. Again.

"You're missing it!" her best friend Kai nudged her. "Your brother's actually pitching good for once."

Maya waved her off. Her stomach did that familiar twisty thing whenever she thought about Jordan. They'd been flirting in math class for weeks, but he'd left her on read since Friday. Was she being ghosted? Was she overthinking everything? (Probably both.)

The sky turned that weird greenish color that meant trouble. Thunder rumbled in the distance like someone moving furniture upstairs.

"Game's getting called!" someone shouted.

Then it happened—actual lightning, cracking across the sky like nature's flash photography. For one split second, the entire field lit up bright as day.

And in that moment, Maya saw it.

Her phone, which had been precariously balanced on her knee, slipped and tumbled down the bleachers. She scrambled after it, nearly face-planting in front of everyone.

But worse? When she finally grabbed it and sat up, she realized Jordan had posted a new story. Tagged at this exact game. Standing by the concession stand.

Maya's heart hammered. He was HERE?

Another lightning flash. There he was, maybe fifty feet away, looking around like he was searching for someone.

"Go!" Kai practically shoved her. "You've been obsessing over this boy for MONTHS."

Maya stood up, legs shaking, and started walking toward him. The rain started falling, big cold drops, but she didn't care. This was her moment, her lightning-strike moment.

Jordan saw her coming and actually smiled. That real smile, not his Instagram smile.

"Hey," he said over the thunder. "I was hoping you'd be here."

Maya's phone buzzed in her hand. A text from Jordan. "You look cute in the rain."

Sometimes, she thought, you don't need a perfect game. You just need one good pitch, one swing, and sometimes? Sometimes you hit it out of the park.