Thunder Strike at the Batting Cage

Marcus's shift at Thunder Ridge Entertainment Center was supposed to be chill until Jaelyn walked in with her friends. His stomach did that lightning-fast flip thing it always did when she was around. She was laughing at something, hair falling over her face, and Marcus actually missed the pitch while loading the **cable** that fed the batting cage machine.

"You good, Marcus?" his coworker Tyler asked, grinning. "You been staring at her since freshman year, bro. Just talk to her."

"Easier said than done," Marcus muttered, wiping sweat from his forehead. The **bull** riding machine had been acting up all afternoon — a total "BS" situation, according to his manager. The hydraulic line kept jamming, and of course, Jaelyn and her friends made a beeline for it.

"This thing looks intense," she said, her eyes bright with that challenge-ready gleam that made Marcus's chest feel weird.

"It's honestly kind of busted," he warned. "But I can give you the gentle setting if you want."

"Excuse me?" She raised an eyebrow. "I got this."

She climbed on while Marcus hovered nearby, one hand on the emergency stop. The machine's motor whined like a dying cat as it spun up. Then — CRACK. Real **lightning** split the sky outside, the power flickered, and the bull went berserk, bucking Jaelyn like she was in a rodeo from hell.

"MARCUS!" she screamed-laughed, hanging on for dear life.

His hand slammed the emergency stop. The machine groaned to a halt, and Jaelyn tumbled off into his arms. Everyone stared for like three full seconds.

"That," she said, breathless and flushed, "was actually kind of awesome."

"You're not hurt?" Marcus asked, genuinely panicked.

"My dignity's taken a hit, but I'm good." She looked up at him, something different in her expression now. "Hey, you off after this?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Because you just literally saved my life," she said, "so I feel like I owe you some boba. Or you can finally tell me why you've been weirdly staring at me since health class last year."

Marcus felt his face burning hotter than summer asphalt. "Is it that obvious?"

"Pretty obvious, yeah." She grinned. "But I didn't hate it."

The storm raged outside, the cable still dangled from the machine, and the bull sat silent in the corner. But Marcus stood there, finally, just maybe, about to have his first real conversation with the girl he'd been crushing on for two years. Sometimes chaos is exactly what you need.