Thunder at the Pool Party

Maya stood at the edge of the pool party, clutching her phone like a lifeline. The **vitamin** water in her other hand had gone warm an hour ago, but sipping it gave her something to do besides awkwardly hovering near the snack table.

Across the **pool**, Tyler laughed at something Rachel said. Tyler, with his stupid perfect hair and that smile that made Maya's brain turn to static. Rachel, who'd somehow become popular over summer break by getting highlights and switching to exclusively wearing crop tops.

"Hey!" Chloe appeared, practically vibrating with energy. "You're not swimming? The water's literally perfect."

Maya shook her head. "Forgot my suit. Again."

Chloe rolled her eyes, but there was affection in it. "You're the worst. Anyway, come over here. Jordan's reading **palm**s and apparently mine says I'm gonna become famous."

Before Maya could respond, a sharp crack split the air. Not a normal sound—a sound like the sky itself had ripped open. **lightning** struck somewhere so close that the hair on her arms stood up. Rain followed instantly, violent and sudden.

Everyone screamed. People scattered. Tyler grabbed Rachel's hand and they bolted toward the covered patio. Maya stood frozen for a second, then she was **running**, sneakers slapping wet concrete, diving under the gazebo just as the sky opened up completely.

Chloe was already there, squeezing between Maya and someone else on the crowded bench. They were shoulder to shoulder, pressed together in the sudden intimacy of strangers seeking shelter, all of them dripping and breathless.

Then Tyler was there, squeezing in beside her. His leg pressed against hers. For a moment—just a moment—nobody was popular or weird or trying to be something they weren't. They were just kids stuck in a storm.

"Crazy, right?" Tyler said. Not to Rachel. To Maya.

She nodded, unable to speak, because suddenly the **palm** of her hand was sweating for a completely different reason.

The storm passed as fast as it had arrived. Rachel called Tyler's name. But for that second, maybe two, before he pulled away, Maya understood something about lightning moments—how they could change everything, or nothing at all, depending on whether you were brave enough to reach for them.