FishTank Drama

Maya's thumbs flew across her iPhone screen, triple-tapping Kai's newest Instagram post for the third time today. The notification glow illuminated her darkened bedroom—11:47 PM, way past her self-imposed social media cutoff. Whatever. Senior year stress was real, and doom-scrolling was basically self-care at this point.

"Hey, can you watch Goldie this weekend?" Kai had asked Friday morning, shoving a fishbowl into her arms between AP Bio and lunch. "My mom's freaking out about the carpet again."

Maya had agreed because that's what best friends did, even when it meant babysitting a fish with approximately three brain cells. Now Goldie swam in lonely circles on her desk, probably judging her life choices through the glass.

Her dog Buster chose that exact moment to launch himself at her door, sensing her late-night energy. "Dude, chill," Maya whispered, but Buster was already mid-bounce toward—

CRASH.

Time stopped. The fishbowl tipped. Goldie flopped onto her math homework, gills working furiously.

"Nonononono—" Maya scrambled, grabbing her iPhone and accidentally hitting livestream instead of flashlight. The screen showed her terrified face and a dying goldfish to three viewers. Great. Absolutely perfect.

Buster, sensing the chaos, decided to "help" by nudging Goldie with his wet nose. The fish gave one dramatic flop—straight into Maya's half-empty water bottle from third period.

Her phone blew up. Notifications stacked: best_friend_ashley sent a sticker of a fish with sunglasses. Some sophomore she barely knew commented: "is this real??" Kai's little brother requested to follow her.

Goldie swam happily in the water bottle, apparently unbothered by his near-death experience. Buster looked absurdly proud, tail wagging like he'd just achieved something magnificent.

Maya started laughing. Hysterical, delirious laughter that made her ribs hurt. Because honestly? What even was her life?

By Monday, Goldie's accidental rescue had become school legend. Kai thought it was "lowkey iconic" and posted the screenshot on her story. People actually stopped Maya in the hallway to ask about the fish.

"You're basically a hero," Kai said at lunch, watching Goldie (now upgraded to a proper tank) swim around a plastic castle. "Buster too. They're both co-stars now."

Maya looked at her iPhone—no new notifications, but that was fine. She had her friend, a surprisingly resilient goldfish, and a dog who'd accidentally become legendary.

Somehow, that was enough.