Goldfish in My Palm

Maya stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, finger tracing the piece of **spinach** wedged between her front teeth. Perfect. Just perfect.

Out by the **pool**, Jordan and his friends were being loud, laughing like they owned everything. Including her best friend Chloe, who'd been floating near the waterfall all afternoon, stealing glances at Jordan's friend Kai.

Maya grabbed a handful of veggie chips from the bowl on the counter—because apparently more food was exactly what she needed. She'd been waiting for the right moment to talk to Leo, the new guy who'd spent the whole party sketching in a notebook by the **palm** tree.

Outside, the air smelled like chlorine and coconut sunscreen. Maya took a deep breath and headed toward the shallow end, where Leo was still drawing.

"Hey," she said, sliding onto the deck beside him.

He looked up, sketching pencil paused. "Hey. You're Chloe's friend, right? Maya?"

"Yeah. What are you drawing?" She leaned in closer than necessary.

Leo showed her the page—a tiny **goldfish** with detailed scales and flowing fins. "There's one in that pond over there. Been following it around for an hour."

Maya laughed, relieved he was weird too. "That's actually really cool."

"My uncle breeds them. He's got like, a hundred in these giant tanks. Says each one has a different personality."

"No way. That's bull—" Maya stopped herself. "Seriously?"

"No cap. I'll show you pictures sometime."

They sat there for twenty minutes while he finished the drawing, Maya's self-consciousness melting away with each minute. Leo was different—quiet, thoughtful, the kind of guy who'd notice a goldfish in a pond while everyone else was busy performing.

Then Jordan cannonballed into the pool, sending water spraying everywhere. Maya jumped back, and Leo's sketchbook got soaked.

"My bad!" Jordan called, not sounding sorry at all. "Just having fun."

Leo's face fell as he looked at the smudged goldfish drawing.

Something snapped in Maya. "You know what's actually funny? You thinking you're the center of the universe."

"What?" Jordan looked confused, like no one had ever called him out before.

"You heard me. You ruined his drawing, and you don't even care. That's not having fun—that's being garbage."

The pool went quiet. Even Chloe stopped floating.

Jordan actually looked embarrassed for once. "Damn, my bad. I'll get you another book, bro."

"It's fine," Leo said, but Maya could tell he appreciated it.

Later, as the party wound down, Leo found her by the snack table. "Thanks for earlier. Nobody ever does that."

"Jordan needed someone to check him. He's been acting like a god all summer."

Leo smiled. "Still. You're different. Good different."

Maya felt her face heat up. When she got home and checked the mirror, the spinach was still there. But for the first time all day, she didn't care.