Fish Out of Water

Maya's mom had dropped her off with the awkward warning: "Have fun, sweetie! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Which, frankly, narrowed it down to literally nothing.

She stood on the porch of Jake's house, clutching her phone so hard her knuckles turned white. The beanie was pulled down to her eyebrows—her safety blanket, her armor, her way of hiding without actually hiding. Inside, muffled bass thumped against the walls.

"You coming in or what?" Marcus appeared behind her, grinning like he knew something she didn't. He was wearing that stupid snapback sideways, but somehow he made it look effortless. Maya's hat felt like it was screaming "I'm trying too hard."

She followed him inside, immediately hit by a wall of cheap body spray and something fruity. The living room was packed—people from school she'd barely spoken to, all acting like they'd been best friends forever.

Maya gravitated toward the back of the room, nearly tripping over a cable snaking across the floor. Someone's charging cable, probably abandoned hours ago. Typical. She watched as groups formed and reformed like schools of fish, everyone moving in sync while she floated alone.

Then she saw it: a goldfish bowl on the kitchen counter, glowing from the under-cabinet lighting. One solitary goldfish swam in lazy circles, looking as out of place as Maya felt.

"That's Bubbles," Jake appeared beside her, holding two red cups. "My sister won him at the fair and then left for college. He's basically a roommate now."

Maya laughed before she could stop herself. "Bubbles? Seriously?"

"I know, right? Worst name ever." Jake handed her a cup. "But he's a survivor. He outlasted two cats and a hamster."

They stood there talking while the party swirled around them. Jake was funny in a quiet way, not loud like the guys yelling over the music. He didn't make her feel like she had to perform or be cool. He just... let her exist.

When someone accidentally knocked into the counter, Maya instinctively reached to steady the goldfish bowl. Her hat slid back, revealing the mess of hair she'd spent twenty minutes perfecting earlier.

"Nice hat," Jake said, like he actually meant it.

"Thanks." She pulled it back down, but slower this time. "It's my security blanket."

"Whatever works." He gestured to the phone charger still plugged into the wall behind them. "My phone's about to die. You mind if I—"

"Go ahead." She watched as he plugged in his phone, the cable connecting them both to the same outlet, both stuck in the same spot while the party kept moving around them.

"Hey," Jake said softly. "You want to get some air? Bubbles is cool and all, but..."

Maya smiled, actually smiled, and followed him toward the back door. The hat stayed on, but it felt lighter somehow.

Outside, the air was cool and the porch swing creaked as they sat down. Far away from the noise and the performing, Maya finally felt like she could breathe. Sometimes, she thought, you didn't need to be the life of the party. You just had to find your own school of fish and swim in your own direction.