Goldfish Dreams & Catatonic Nights

The goldfish was supposed to be my redemption arc. A low-stakes responsibility to prove to my mom that I could keep something alive for more than three weeks. But here I am, staring at Neon's floaty corpse, wondering if I can pull a Weekend at Bernie's with a fish.

"You're being dramatic," Maya says through my phone speaker, her voice crackling like she's calling from 2005. "It's a goldfish, not a puppy. Just flush it."

Easy for her to say. Maya's parents are still married, her room is Pinterest-aesthetic perfect, and she didn't accidentally kill her redemption arc three days before her birthday.

I'm about to confess everything when my phone dies. Because of course it does. I reach for the charger, but the frayed cable barely holds a charge anymore. Another thing I need to tell my mom about, another small failure in a pile of them.

That's when Luna chooses to make her entrance.

My sister's cat is basically a furry demon with attachment issues. She pounces onto my desk, sending Neon's bowl dangerously close to the edge. Luna stares at me with those judgmental yellow eyes, like she knows my darkest secret.

"You won't tell, right?" I whisper. "We can be co-conspirators."

Luna meows and knocks a pen onto the floor.

I sigh. Everything in my life feels like it's held together by hope and broken cables. My parents' "amicable" divorce that's anything but. My grades that are sliding faster than Neon did. The way I feel like I'm always saying the wrong thing, wearing the wrong clothes, being the wrong version of myself.

But then Luna does something unexpected. She curls up next to Neon's bowl, like she's standing vigil. Like she's saying, I know this sucks. I'm here anyway.

I text Maya back on my laptop. "NEED NEW CABLE ASAP. EMERGENCY."

"On my way," she replies. "Brining snacks."

Maybe I'll tell her the truth. Maybe I won't. But for the first time in weeks, I feel like something might actually work out. Even if it's just a girl bringing charging cables and friendship to a goldfish funeral.