Goldfish at the Rodeo

Maya's heart hammered like she'd just ridden a mechanical bull at max speed. Which, technically, she had. Last weekend at Chloe's birthday party, because apparently that's what passed for entertainment in Oak Creek when you were sixteen and desperate for something that wasn't standing around in someone's basement drinking warm soda.

Now here she was, face to face with Evan—the Evan—who'd somehow ended up at the same after-game hang out. His hair was perfect in that effortless way that probably took actual effort, and he was looking right at her.

"So," Evan said, leaning against the kitchen counter where someone had abandoned a goldfish in a bowl. "You're the girl who lasted forty-five seconds on the bull."

Maya felt her face burn. "That's what they're saying?"

"Pretty much." He grinned. "I'm impressed. Most people bail after ten."

Before she could respond, a calico cat wound around her legs, purring like a tiny motor. It belonged to the host family, apparently intent on tripping everyone who entered the kitchen.

"This is ridiculous," Maya muttered, bending to pet the cat. "Why is there even a goldfish at a house party?"

"Beats me." Evan crouched down too, and their shoulders brushed. The cat settled between them, clearly plotting something. "Hey, can I tell you something?"

"Sure?"

"I was going to ask for your number after the rodeo, but I chickened out." His ears actually turned pink. "So, uh. Now?"

Maya's brain short-circuited. "Wait, really?"

"Yeah. Unless that's—that's cool, right? Not weird?"

"That's," she started, then caught herself. "That's actually not bull at all. That's... pretty great."

The cat chose that moment to knock into the goldfish bowl, which wobbled dangerously. They both lunged to save it, hands colliding, and Maya couldn't help it—she laughed. For once, she wasn't overthinking everything, wasn't worrying about looking stupid, wasn't mentally replaying every social misstep from the past week.

She was just here, in this ridiculous kitchen, with a guy who liked her, a plotting cat, and a goldfish that had somehow become the third wheel.

"Give me your phone," she said.

Evan's smile was genuine. Best forty-five seconds of her life, easy.