Three Seconds of Lightning

Maya's iphone buzzed in her pocket for the third time, and she ignored it like she ignored her rapidly beating heart. The house party was exactly what she'd dreaded—too loud, too many people, way too much going on. She'd only come because Chloe swore this was the night Maya would finally talk to Marcus.

"You're literally vibrating," Chloe shouted over the music, gesturing at Maya's pocket. "Check it already."

Maya pulled out her phone. Marcus had posted a new Instagram story. Just him and some random orange couch in someone's basement. Not exactly the thrilling update she'd been hoping for.

"He's in the basement," Chloe said, reading over her shoulder. "Go down there. I promise, it's not weird unless you make it weird."

Maya's hands were actually shaking. This was ridiculous. She was fifteen, not twelve, but apparently her emotions didn't get the memo. Social dynamics shouldn't feel this high-stakes, but here she was, overthinking everything.

Outside, the sky cracked open. Lightning flashed across the windows, making everyone flinch and laugh.

"Power's gonna go out," someone yelled.

And then it did. Total darkness, followed by scattered screams and laughter. People's phone flashlights clicked on like fireflies. Maya froze, then realized—this was it. The perfect excuse. She could text him. No face-to-face required, just low-key communication in the chaos.

Her thumbs moved faster than her doubts could catch up. *Hey, this is Maya from bio. This blackout is kinda wild lol*

A moment later, her phone lit up. *No joke lol. You having fun?*

*Honestly? Not really lol. Too many people*

*Same. Want to hang out upstairs where it's quieter?*

Maya's heart did this little flip that felt exactly like lightning, but the good kind. The kind that strikes and suddenly everything changes.

*Yeah. Meet by the stairs?*

*See you in 2 mins*

She found him in the flashlight glow, wearing that orange hoodie she'd noticed in class like a hundred times. He smiled, and somehow, in the dark with everyone else still partying downstairs, they sat on the top step and talked for hours. About nothing, about everything, about how high school was actually kind of awful sometimes.

The power came back around midnight. Neither of them noticed.