Goldfish in the Deep End

Marco's pet goldfish stared at him through the glass, judgment in its bulbous eyes. "You're not going to that party, Bubbles. You don't have to worry about looking like a total dork in front of Jessica."

His phone buzzed. Jessica. The text made his stomach do backflips: *pool party @ my place. u coming?*

Marco had been crushing on her since seventh period algebra. Now sophomore year, and she'd finally noticed him existed. Problem: Marco couldn't swim. Like, at all. His parents had tried everything—lessons, thrown him in the literal deep end, nothing worked. He just sank like a stone.

He gulped down his daily vitamin D supplement—doctor said he was deficient, which explained why he was always tired and why his skin looked pasty in fluorescent lighting. Great. Just what he needed before a pool party.

Saturday arrived with 90-degree heat. Marco's Xbox setup was a mess of cables trailing across his room, like electronic vines. He'd been streaming fortnite until 3 AM, procrastinating on the inevitable.

"You got this, bro," his older brother Rico called from the hallway. "Just take the bull by the horns. Or at least float."

Easy for Rico to say. He was on the swim team.

The party was already in full swing when Marco arrived. Kids everywhere. Water splashing. Laughter. And there she was—Jessica in a blue bikini that matched her eyes, looking like she belonged in a movie, not real life.

Marco's chest tightened. He made a beeline for the snack table, pretending to be intensely interested in a bag of chips.

"Hey!" Jessica appeared beside him, dripping wet. "You're not swimming?"

"Uh, nah. I ate too much."

"Lame." She splashed him. "Come on!"

Before Marco could protest, someone shoved him from behind. He stumbled, right into the pool.

The world went silent underwater. He thrashed, arms flailing. This was it. This was how he died—drowning at a pool party, in front of his crush, forever known as the guy who couldn't handle four feet of water.

Then something grabbed his wrist. Jessica. She pulled him up, and he gasped, coughing.

"You okay?" she asked, not laughing. Concern in her eyes.

Marco wiped his face. "I can't swim."

"Seriously?" She grinned. "Me neither. I just doggy paddle and hope for the best."

They sat on the pool edge, feet in the water, while Marco told her about Bubbles the goldfish, his gaming cables, everything. She told him she failed her driving test twice. They stayed there until the sun went down.

Later, Marco texted Rico: *Didn't die. Also, got her number.*

His brother replied: *Told you. Face the bull, get the girl.*

Marco stared at Bubbles through the glass. "You know what, fish? Tomorrow, I'm buying you a bigger tank. We're both leveling up."