The Electric Bull Rider

Maya's palms were practically dripping onto her cutoff shorts as she stood before the mechanical bull at the county fair. Tyler was watching, which was exactly why she'd impulsively shouted "I'll do it!" when everyone else chickened out.

"You got this, Maya!" Jenna called from the side, already filming on her phone. This was going to be legendary or absolutely humiliating—probably both.

The bull operator, a guy with more tattoos than teeth, adjusted his hat. "Five bucks, eight seconds. Stay on, you win that massive plush bear over there."

Maya's heart was doing that weird fluttery thing it always did around Tyler lately. She handed over her money and swung her leg over the bull's fake leather saddle. The operator clicked his radio and suddenly she was holding on for dear life as the machine jerked and spun beneath her.

"Go Maya, go!" someone shouted, but she could barely hear over the thumping country music and her own desperate breathing. One second, two seconds, three—she was killing it! Her curls whipped across her face, her sneakers scrambling for purchase.

Then a massive crack of lightning split the sky directly overhead.

The operator flinched, and in that split second of distraction, the bull kicked into maximum speed. Maya went airborne, landing in the sawdust with her skirt over her head and zero dignity left.

"Ouch," she groaned, sitting up to find Tyler standing there, hand extended.

"That was actually really impressive," he said, pulling her up as more lightning flashed behind him, illuminating his grin. "Most people barely made two seconds."

Maya brushed sawdust from her knees, trying to play it cool despite her flaming cheeks. "Yeah, well, the lightning had it out for me."

"Hey, you still earned this." Tyler handed her the massive plush bear the operator tossed over. "Want to get funnel cake and hide under the food court tent until this storm passes?"

Maya's palms were still sweaty, but this time it didn't matter. "Absolutely."

As they ran through the rain toward the covered seating, Maya realized something: falling off the bull in front of everyone hadn't ruined anything. If anything, Tyler's hand felt just right in hers as they dodged puddles together. Maybe lightning really did strike twice—first at her pride, then at her luck.