The Dog Who Knew Everything

Jordan's summer wasn't supposed to be like this. While her friends posted beach pics from Cape Cod, she was stuck house-sitting for Mrs. Henderson, whose ancient pug needed meds every four hours. The dog—a potbellied creature named Buster—stared at Jordan with what felt like judgment.

Then came the text from Kai: rooftop party at Tyler's, everyone going. Jordan's heart did that stupid flutter thing it always did when Kai's name popped up.

But first, disaster struck. The old TV cable in Mrs. Henderson's living room frayed somehow, and when Jordan tried to fix it, SPARK—everything went dark. No WiFi, no charging, nothing. She was stranded.

Buster started barking at the front door.

"What?" Jordan snapped. The dog nudged her leg toward the back patio, where the garden hose had been left running. Water pooled everywhere, creeping toward the house's foundation. Jordan's stomach dropped—Mrs. Henderson would kill her.

She spent hours in the July heat, bailing water with a bucket while Buster "supervised." Her phone stayed dead. She missed Kai. She missed being 16 and unburdened by flooded patios and electrical mishaps.

Around sunset, Jordan finally got the power back on. Her phone exploded with missed texts—party highlights, inside jokes she wasn't part of. Except one from Kai: "You okay? Heard something happened."

Jordan sat on the back steps, exhausted, water still dripping from her hair. Buster curled against her leg, snoring softly. And there it was—that weird, quiet moment when you realize maybe this wasn't the worst summer ever. Maybe she'd just learned something about handling messes, literal and otherwise.

She texted Kai back: "Long story. Tell you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Kai replied. "Want me to come over? We can figure out the cable situation together."

Jordan smiled despite herself. Some things were worth waiting for.