Summer Storm Secrets

Maya's palms were sweating — like, actually dripping — as she leaned against the backyard fence. The July humidity wasn't helping. Neither was the fact that Jake Martinez stood across the pool, laughing with his friends, completely unaware that Maya had been basically functioning as his personal spy for the past three weeks.

Okay, not spy-spy. But she'd been watching his Instagram stories religiously (lowkey stalking, whatever you wanted to call it) and knew he liked vanilla ice cream, hated horror movies, and had a golden retriever named Luna. She'd even walked past his house twice this week just to see if Luna was in the front yard. She needed to get it together.

"You're staring again," Chloe whispered, appearing beside her with two sodas. "It's giving obsessed."

"Shut up," Maya hissed, grabbing a drink. "I'm observing. There's a difference."

A baseball cap sat backward on Jake's head — his signature look. Maya had memorized the way his hair curled under the brim. It was pathetic, really. She was fifteen, not twelve.

The sky chose that moment to crack open. Lightning splintered across the darkening clouds like something out of a movie. Everyone screamed and scrambled toward the covered patio. Maya got shoved forward, her arm brushing Jake's as they both reached for the same shelter.

"Whoa," he said, grinning down at her. "Close call."

Her brain short-circuited. "Yeah. The weather app said zero percent chance of rain, so that's cool."

"Jake!" someone yelled. "Your dog got out!"

Luna came bounding through the rain, paws slipping on the wet grass, looking like a fluffy brown torpedo of chaos. Jake bolted after her, and without thinking, Maya sprinted too. They cornered the retriever near the garden shed, both drenched, both laughing like idiots.

"Good team," Jake said, catching his breath as Luna shook rainwater all over both of them. "You're fast."

"Track team," Maya managed, her heart hammering for about eighteen different reasons. "Also, I really didn't want your dog to get hurt."

He held out his hand. "I'm Jake, by the way."

She almost laughed. Instead, she wiped her palm on her jeans and shook his hand. "Maya."

The storm raged around them. Chloe was definitely watching from the patio, probably live-texting the group chat. But for once, Maya didn't care. Sometimes the universe — or a random summer thunderstorm — just gave you what you needed, even if you didn't deserve it.