The Pyramid at Midnight

The red Solo cups formed a perfect pyramid on the kitchen counter, twenty cups high, glowing under LED lights. Jordan's first real party. His cousin Sarah promised it would be chill — just some sophomores hanging by the pool. Instead, he'd spent thirty minutes pretending to check nonexistent notifications on his phone while some guy named Tyler loudly explained how he'd totally seen a bull escape from the county fair and nearly trampled his skateboard.

"That's such bull," someone muttered. Jordan cracked a smile. At least the social dynamics were familiar — the same hierarchy that ruled the school cafeteria had simply relocated to Tyler's backyard.

Then Kaia walked in.

Jordan had been running laps around her in his head since August. She wore this vintage hoodie that looked like she'd stolen it from a cooler dimension, and somehow she made it work. When their eyes met across the pool, something like lightning cracked through his chest. Pure electricity. He'd felt it before in math class when she'd asked to borrow a calculator, but up close? Devastating.

"Hey," she said, sliding onto the pool edge beside him. "You're Jordan, right? You sit behind me in English."

She knew his name. She knew where he sat. His brain short-circuited.

"Yeah, that's me. Sitting. Behind things. English class exists."

Kaia laughed — actually laughed, not that polite fake laugh people gave when they wanted you to stop talking. "Tyler's stories are getting wilder. Last week he fought a shark."

"The bull story was at least creative."

"Creative disaster." She kicked her feet in the water, sending ripples across the surface. "I'm gonna head inside. You coming?"

He followed her through the sliding glass door, heart hammering against his ribs like it was trying to escape. Behind them, Tyler was now demonstrating how to wrestle a bull using a pool noodle.

"Earth to Jordan," Kaia said softly, and he realized he'd been staring at her like an idiot. But she wasn't annoyed. She was smiling. Actually smiling. Maybe tonight wouldn't be a disaster after all.