Thunder Pool

The cat had been staring at me from the neighbors' fence for like twenty minutes. Judging me. Probably because I was wearing swim trunks that were two sizes too small—thanks, Mom, for the hand-me-downs from my cousin who actually hits his growth spurts.

"You coming in or what?" Maya yelled from the pool. She was treading water, looking like she belonged in a deodorant commercial with her perfect hair somehow staying dry.

I adjusted my goggles, trying to look confident instead of like I was about to hyperventilate. This was it—the first pool party of freshman year, and if I didn't get in there soon, I'd be that kid who sits on the edge fully clothed while everyone else has fun.

The baseball game on the pool house TV was muted, but I could see the score from here. I'd played until my dad made me quit last year. Too much focus, he said. Needed to be more well-rounded.

Lightning flickered across the sky. Great. The weather app had said clear skies all day, but whatever algorithm powered that thing clearly hated me.

"Guys, did you see that?" I pointed. "We should probably get out."

No one moved. Of course they didn't. I was the overthinker, the kid who read all the safety warnings before using a hairdryer. Meanwhile, Tyler was doing a cannonball off the diving board while electricity literally gathered overhead.

The cable to the pool house TV sparked—a tiny zip of blue-white that made my stomach drop.

"SERIOUSLY." I scrambled toward the house, grabbing my towel. "That's not safe."

Maya sighed, this dramatic teenager sigh that said I was ruining everything, but she followed. So did everyone else, grumbling but moving.

We ended up in the basement, wet and shivering, watching the storm through the window well while the adults talked about insurance or whatever adults talk about when it rains at parties.

"You were right," Maya said, sitting beside me on the couch. "That was actually pretty cool you noticed the cable thing."

I shrugged, feeling my face get hot. "Just lucky."

"No, it was smart." She bumped my shoulder with hers. "Most guys would've tried to act all tough. You're, like, observant. It's kinda... I don't know. Nice."

The cat appeared at the basement window, pressed against the glass, watching us through the rain. No longer judging, just waiting out the storm like the rest of us.

Lightning cracked again, but this time I didn't mind. Because for the first time since I'd walked into this party feeling like the world's most awkward human, I was actually sitting next to Maya, and she was smiling at me, and I'd somehow gone from being the safety-obsessed weirdo to being the one who'd saved everyone from getting electrocuted.

Sometimes being the cautious one wasn't the worst thing in the world. Sometimes it made you interesting.