Three Strikes of Gold

Maya's fedora sat crooked on her head—a bold choice she'd regret the moment she walked into Jordan's house party. The brim kept dipping over her eyes, making her look like she was winking at everyone she tried to talk to. Which would've been charming if she weren't practically hyperventilating.

"You good?" Jordan appeared beside her, holding a red solo cup like it was a trophy.

"Just adjusting my hat," Maya lied, smoothing down the stupid fedora she'd bought because some TikTok said it would give her 'main character energy.' Instead, it was giving 'I don't know how social interactions work.'

Outside, **lightning** split the sky, followed by thunder rattling the windows. The partygoers cheered, someone yelled "NATURE'S FIREWORKS," and suddenly everyone rushed outside to watch the storm.

Maya followed, ducking under the patio cover just as rain began hammering down. She ended up pressed against the railing next to Sam—the quiet skateboarder from her English class who drew comics in the margins of everything.

"Nice hat," Sam said, and Maya couldn't tell if they were being sarcastic.

"Thanks. My tragic attempt at seeming interesting."

Sam laughed. A real laugh. "I feel you. Last week I wore a trench coat to school because I thought I looked mysterious. My brother asked if I was going to flash people."

Maya giggled, relaxing for the first time all night. They talked through the storm—about weird fashion choices, about how much they both hated group projects, about Sam's comic about a **goldfish** that could see the future but kept forgetting what it foresaw.

"That's actually brilliant," Maya said.

"Yeah? Maybe I'll show you sometime."

**Lightning** flashed again, closer this time, illuminating Sam's grin and Maya's ridiculous fedora and the way they were both leaning in like the storm was just background noise.

The fedora had done its job after all—just not the way she'd expected. Sometimes main character energy wasn't about the outfit. It was about who you ended up talking to when the rain came down.