Goldfish at the Deep End

The pool lights cast these weird underwater shadows that made everything look like we were swimming in an orange dream. I stood at the edge of the deep end, clutching my towel like it was armor, while everyone else splashed like they'd been born with gills.

"You coming in or what?" Tyler yelled, grinning that way he does that makes my stomach do these annoying little flips. He treaded water near the diving board, looking annoyingly effortless.

"Yeah, just yeah, give me a second," I called back, but honestly I was stalling. The whole night already felt like one big social minefield I was somehow supposed to navigate without blowing myself up.

Then Jordan surfaced next to Tyler, wiping water from their eyes and shouting, "Yo, someone's goldfish just escaped! There's literally a fish swimming loose in the deep end!"

Everyone froze. Then chaos. People scrambled toward the shallow end like the tiny orange fish was some kind of shark. The party had gotten weird enough without aquatic escape artists.

I knelt at the edge as the little guy darted around, confused as hell about his sudden freedom. Without thinking, I reached in, scooped him into my cupped hands, and made a run for the decorative pond in the backyard. My socks squished with every step, spinach from the veggie tray still stuck between my teeth from earlier because OF COURSE I'd been smiling all night with that little green decoration nobody bothered to tell me about.

The pond was barely more than a fancy puddle, but it was deeper than the pool. I released the goldfish, watching him flick his tail and disappear into the murky depths like he knew exactly what he was doing all along.

"That was honestly kind of epic," Jordan said behind me. I turned to find them watching, along with half the party.

Tyler walked over, dripping pool water everywhere, still grinning. "You're weird, Maya. Like, actually weird."

"Thanks?" I said, but I was smiling now, spinach and all.

"No, I mean" — he stepped closer — "like, in a good way. A really good way."

Later, when the WiFi went down and someone's dad spent twenty minutes outside fixing the cable connection, I sat with Tyler and Jordan on the back porch, watching the pond ripple in the moonlight. The goldfish was nowhere to be seen, probably exploring his new kingdom like he owned the place.

"Next time," Tyler said quietly, "you should actually get in the pool."

"Maybe," I said, feeling something shift inside me, something like confidence but warmer. "But first, does anyone have floss? Like, urgently?"

They laughed, and the sound was better than any stupid pool party playlist anyway.