Goldfish in the Deep End

The carnival goldfish — which Maya had named Neptune — swam lazily in its plastic bag, mocking her.

"You're not gonna actually swim?" Jordan called from the pool edge, water dripping from his perfect abs. The whole lacrosse team was there. Of course they were.

Maya adjusted her bucket hat, pulling it lower. The neon green thing was her armor. Underneath: a mess of DIY bleach streaks that had turned her hair into a disaster zone. Three hours of work, $40 of supplies, and now she looked like a zebra that lost a fight with a highlighter.

"Maybe later," she muttered, sinking onto a patio chair. Neptune's bag sat beside her like a tiny, judgmental friend.

Her phone buzzed. *DAD: Found the cat. He was under the porch again. *

Maya's chest tightened. Barnaby — her emotional support animal, her anchor through the divorce, her everything — had been escaping lately, like he was trying to find her mom's new apartment. Like he knew something Maya didn't.

"Nice hat," said Chloe, dropping into the chair beside her. Chloe, whose Instagram followers outnumbered Maya's by thousands. Chloe, who somehow made wet hair look intentional.

"It's... functional?" Maya said, then immediately wanted to die.

Chloe laughed, but not meanly. "I did that last summer. Bleached my own bangs. Looked like I stuck my head in a toaster for three weeks."

Maya blinked. "Really?"

"My mom literally cried. She thought I'd finally lost it." Chloe grinned. "So are you gonna tell me what's under the hat, or am I gonna have to guess?"

Something about Chloe's tone — no judgment, just curiosity — made Maya exhale. She pulled off the bucket hat.

Chloe studied the zebra stripes for exactly three seconds. "Honest opinion?"

Maya braced herself.

"It's giving 'main character energy.' Like, you're committed to the bit. I respect it." Chloe stood up. "Anyway, Jordan's being annoying. Want to get food?"

The swimming pool shimmered behind them, less terrifying now.

"Yeah," Maya said, grabbing Neptune's bag. "But first — we need to find a bowl. This fish has seen some things."