Goldfish at the Net

Maya's summer job as a lifeguard at the country club wasn't exactly the glow-up she'd envisioned. While her friends posted beach pics with aesthetic captions, she was stuck monitoring the pool where middle-aged men played padel with way too much intensity.

The only highlight?Watching Zara, the girl who'd transferred to their school last spring, dominate the padel court. Something about the way Zara moved—fluid, fierce, completely unbothered—made Maya's chest feel weird. Like literal butterflies, except cringe.

"You staring again?" her best friend Kai whispered through the fence, smirking. "Just admit you're down bad."

"Shut up," Maya muttered, but her cheeks betrayed her.

Then came the storm. No gradual build-up—just lightning cracking the sky open like the universe was screenshotting the moment. Everyone scattered, leaving their equipment everywhere. Maya grabbed Zara's abandoned bag, intending to return it Monday like a normal person, but her hands had other plans.

Inside: hair ties, a sketchbook filled with incredible drawings, and a small glass bowl. A goldfish swam inside, looking judgmentally at Maya's invasion.

Who brings a fish to a country club?

Monday, Zara caught Maya near her locker. "You went through my stuff?"

"No! I—I was saving your bag from the rain. The goldfish though..."

Zara's expression shifted from pissed to something else. "His name is Glitter. He's my emotional support animal because my parents are getting divorced and nobody knows yet except you. So... congrats?"

The words hung in the water-thick air between them. Then Zara laughed, and it sounded like rain.

"Wanna help me sneak Glitter into the bio lab tomorrow?"

"Absolutely," Maya said. "But you're teaching me how to actually play padel."

"Deal." Zara's smile hit different now—personal, private. "Same time next week?"

Maya's heart did the thing. "Bet."

Some summer jobs aren't so bad after all.