The Night We Ran With Thunder

Maya'siphone screen glowed in the darkness of Treehouse Hill, 11:47 PM on a Friday. First party of freshman year, and she was currently sitting in a corner doom-scrolling because Jake—her actual crush—had been talking to Skylar for twenty minutes straight.

"You good?" Chloe appeared, Solo cup in hand. "Or are we doing the sad girl wall routine tonight?"

"I'm not sad," Maya protested, though her voice cracked. "Just... strategically waiting for the right moment."

"The right moment was before Skylar showed up in that dress." Chloe tapped her cup against Maya's knee. "C'mon. We're doing something legendary."

Before Maya could ask what that meant, a flash of lightning split the sky—close enough that the hair on her arms stood up. Rain started dumping seconds later, sending the party into chaos.

"OUTSIDE!" someone yelled, and suddenly thirty drunk teenagers were sprinting toward the woods.

"Where are we going?" Maya called after Chloe, who was already vanishing into the trees.

"Old Miller's field! There's supposed to be a—"

A massive snort cut through the rain. Maya froze. Fifty feet away, illuminated by another lightning strike, stood the most terrifying thing she'd ever seen: a bull, massive and unhappy, water streaming off its horns.

"That's a bull," Maya whispered.

"That's a LEGEND," Chloe yelled over the thunder. "Local kids have been trying to get a selfie with that thing for years. Nobody's ever pulled it off."

Maya's brain made three connections at once: Jake would lose his mind over this photo, Skylar had never done anything remotely this fearless, and Chloe was absolutely going to attempt this.

"You're crazy."

"You're coming." Chloe was already moving, weirdly graceful despite the mud, like she was part fox—sly and nimble and completely unintimidated.

Maya's heart hammered as she followed. The bull watched them, unimpressed. Another lightning flash—Maya held up her phone, thumb hovering over the shutter.

The bull snorted, turned, and disappeared into the darkness.

"Did you get it?" Chloe demanded, grabbing Maya's arm.

Maya looked at her screen. There, backlit by lightning, was the most ridiculous, terrifying, beautiful photo she'd ever taken.

"I got it."

They collapsed against a tree, soaked and shivering, as Chloe posted it to her story. Minutes later, Jake's notification popped up: ???

"See?" Chloe grinned, teeth chattering. "Legendary."

Maya's phone buzzed again. Jake: you're actually insane

She smiled. Maybe, just maybe, being a little insane was exactly what she needed.