Goldfish at the Deep End

Maya stood at the edge of the pool, clutching her papaya smoothie like it was a lifeline. The sophomore welcome-back party sprawled before her—kids cannonballing, music bumping, social circles forming and reforming like living organisms. She felt like a goldfish in an ocean, completely out of her depth.

"You gonna swim or just hold up the wall?"

She turned to find Jake from her AP Bio class leaning against the fence, looking annoyingly effortless in his swim trunks. Jake, who'd sat behind her all last year and whose hair somehow always looked perfect.

"I'm thinking about it," Maya said, though she absolutely wasn't.

"You're overthinking it. You always do." He splashed water at her, making her yelp. "Come on, Mrs. sphinx. Let's see if you can solve the riddle of how to have fun."

Maya rolled her eyes. "That nickname is so random."

"You're mysterious. You never say anything in class, but you get straight A's. Ergo, sphinx."

"Maybe I just don't think anyone cares what I have to say."

Jake's expression softened. "I care. That's why I'm bothering you instead of swimming laps with the swim team."

Something in his tone made her pause. Was he... was he actually interested in talking to her? Like, talking-to-her interested?

"Fine," she said, setting her smoothie down. "But I'm not doing a cannonball. I have dignity."

"Deal. Just ease in. Baby steps."

The water was perfect—cool but not shocking. Jake swam beside her, matching her slow pace as she adjusted to the sensation. They talked about everything and nothing: how weird it was that papaya tasted like nothing yet everything simultaneously, whether goldfish had feelings, their mutual fear of presenting their science projects next week.

By the time Maya climbed out, hours had passed. Her phone showed three missed texts from her friends asking where she'd disappeared to, but she didn't care.

"Same time tomorrow?" Jake asked, dripping wet and smiling like he meant it.

"Maybe," Maya said, feeling something unfamiliar and wonderful blooming in her chest. "If you're lucky."

She walked away before he could respond, but she could feel his eyes on her. For once, she didn't feel like a goldfish out of water. She felt like exactly where she was supposed to be.