Goldfish Dreams at Midnight

The pool lights turned everything underwater blue and magical. Maya floated on her back, listening to muffled laughter from the deck above. Jordan's end-of-summer party. The one everyone would be talking about Monday morning, except probably her, because once again she was the weirdo in the corner—or in this case, underwater.

Maya surfaced to see Chloe tossing her hair like she was in a shampoo commercial. "You okay down there, Little Mermaid?" Chloe called, and everyone laughed.

Maya ducked back under. This is why she preferred her goldfish, Bubbles. At least Bubbles didn't ask awkward questions or make her feel like she was failing some social sphinx riddle she'd never been taught how to solve. What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening? Whatever. More like: what do you say when your crush asks what your plans are for the weekend and your brain just goes completely offline?

She'd been crushing on Sam since seventh grade. He was swimming laps with that effortless athletic grace, while she did her best impression of a very confused potato.

A splash next to her. Sam surfaced, shaking water from his hair. "Hey Maya."

Her heart did that thing where it forgot how to heart properly. "Hey."

"You've been under there a while." He treaded water, looking at her with those stupidly hazel eyes. "Everything good?"

"Just thinking. About my goldfish."

"Your goldfish."

"His name is Bubbles and he's basically my therapist."

Sam laughed, and it was this genuine sound that made something in her chest go warm and melty. "That's actually kind of awesome."

"Is it?" Maya floated closer, emboldened. "Or is it weird that I tell my fish things I can't say to actual people?"

"Same thing, really." Sam's fingers brushed hers in the water. "Some people are just better listeners."

From the deck, a calico cat—Jordan's, always watching—let out this judgmental meow like it knew exactly what was happening and approved of approximately none of it.

"Anyway," Sam said, "I was going to ask—"

"HEY LOVEBIRDS," Chloe shouted from above. Sam flinched. The moment broke.

But later, when the party had thinned and most people had left, Sam found her by the pool edge, dangling her feet in the water. "So," he said, sitting beside her. "About what I was going to ask."

"Yeah?" Maya's heart was doing gymnastics again.

He looked at the water, then at her. "Want to come back tomorrow? Just to swim? No audience."

Maya smiled. Maybe she didn't need to solve the riddle tonight. Some sphinxes took time.

"I'd like that," she said.

Bubbles would be proud.