Electric Papara Summer

Leo's room had become an unintentional aquarium. Three years of carnival wins, birthday favors, and that one time his aunt thought it would be hilarious to bring home a dozen feeder fish from the pet store. Now thirty-seven goldfish stared at him from various bowls scattered across every surface.

"You're hoarding living creatures, Leo," his sister Mia had announced that morning, thwacking him on the back of the head with a papaya. "It's weird. Also, Mom says try this. It's a superfood."

"It looks like an alien organ," Leo had said, but taken the fruit anyway because his mother had become obsessed with vitamin deficiencies ever since she'd discovered Dr. Wellness's YouTube channel.

Now, lightning flashed outside his window, illuminating the fishbowls like some kind of haunted disco. The storm was supposed to be "the storm of the decade" according to every weather app Leo had checked obsessively all day.

His phone buzzed. SKYLAR: u still coming to jess's party tonight?? everyone's gonna be there

Leo's stomach did that thing it always did before social events—a full-body existential crisis wrapped in anxiety, sprinkled with dread, served on a bed of why am I like this.

He'd been planning to bail. Obviously. Plans to bail. Had his exit strategy ready since Tuesday. But then Mia had shoved papaya at him and his mom had left a sticky note on the bathroom mirror: "Vitamin D deficiency makes you depressed! Love you!"

"Wait," Leo muttered, staring at his phone. "That doesn't even make sense."

Another flash of lightning. This time, the power actually cut out.

His goldfish—a particularly judgmental one named Sir Bubbles—floated to the front of its bowl and seemed to stare directly into Leo's soul. That was it. That was the sign.

"You know what, Sir Bubbles? You're right."

Leo grabbed his hoodie, pocketed the remaining papaya slices because why not, and yelled to his sister: "I'm going to that party!"

"Finally!" Mia called back. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"That's literally everything!"

"Exactly!"

Leo stepped out into the warm summer rain, phone tucked safely in his pocket, goldfish watching through the window like tiny orange guardian angels of personal growth. The lightning didn't seem scary anymore—just electric, like possibility, like the taste of papaya on his tongue, like maybe being sixteen didn't have to feel so impossible all the time.

He texted Skylar back: on my way. bring snacks if u want

Skylar's response was instant: papara?? what is that

Leo smiled. Honestly, he didn't know either. But he was about to find out.