Thunder at the Pool

Marcus stood at the edge of the Riverview Community Pool, clutching his phone like a lifeline. The summer party was in full swing—kids cannonballing, speakers blasting Drake, and Jake Montgomery, reigning king of the sophomore class, holding court on a giant inflatable flamingo.

"Yo Marcus!" Jake yelled, doing that stupid point thing. "We're doing a pyramid in the deep end. You in or what?"

Everyone looked. Marcus's palms were already sweating. Of course Jake had made it social suicide to decline. The popularity **pyramid** at Northwood High was ruthless, and Jake sat comfortably at the apex, collecting followers like Fortnite skins.

"Yeah," Marcus heard himself say. "Sure."

He'd never been good at **swimming**. Lessons as a kid had been a disaster—his instructor, Mrs. Chen, had eventually suggested maybe swimming wasn't his thing, in that tone adults used when they meant you had zero talent. But Marcus wasn't about to admit that to JAKE, of all people. Jake had made varsity swim team freshman year. Jake's backstroke was basically art.

Marcus lowered himself into the pool, heart hammering. The cold water hit his chest like a physical shove.

"Alright," Jake announced, already treading water effortlessly. "Marcus, you're base. Lena, on his shoulders. I'll top."

Lena—beautiful, confident Lena who'd sat behind Marcus in bio and never learned his name—grinned and splashed toward him. "You got this, new kid!"

She climbed onto his shoulders. Marcus's legs immediately screamed. His arms churned frantically to keep them both afloat.

"Stop fighting it," Lena said softly, close to his ear. "Just... float. Trust yourself."

But Marcus couldn't trust himself. He couldn't trust anything. His dad had moved out two months ago—just packed a suitcase and left like Marcus's entire childhood was something he could just walk away from. Since then, Marcus had been waiting for the other shoe to drop. For his mom to crack. For his grades to tank. For everything to fall apart.

Instead, his mom had signed him up for summer activities to keep him "busy." This pool party had been her idea.

Jake climbed up, wobbling dramatically. Everyone on deck whooped.

"HOLD IT," Jake commanded, striking a pose like he was Instagram live. "Marcus, you good?"

Marcus's vision swam. He was going to dunk the most popular guy in school in front of everyone. He'd be a legend—or dead.

Then: **LIGHTNING**.

A white-hot crack split the sky. Thunder shook the ground.

"OUT!" a lifeguard screamed. "NOW!"

The pyramid collapsed. Everyone scrambled for the ladder. Marcus grabbed Lena's arm—instinct—and hauled her toward the edge. Jake was already there, laughing as he vaulted onto the deck like a majestic golden retriever.

"That was SO sick," Jake said, shaking out his hair like a shampoo commercial. "Marcus, dude, you held it together. Mad respect."

Marcus stood on the pool deck, dripping and breathless. Lena squeezed his arm.

"You okay?" she asked, actually looking at him this time. "You looked like you were gonna pass out."

"Yeah," Marcus said, and realized it was true. "I'm okay."

His phone buzzed in his pocket—his mom, probably, checking if he'd made friends. But standing there, in the golden light of the storm passing, with Lena smiling at him and Jake actually acting like a human being for once, Marcus felt something shift.

Maybe things could be okay. Maybe he didn't have to wait for everything to fall apart.

"So," Lena said, tapping her phone against his. "We doing this again tomorrow?"

Marcus grinned. "Totally."

For once, he wasn't scared of what came next.