Goldfish in the Deep End

The pool party at Jordan's house was supposed to be my chance to finally talk to Maya. I'd been crushing on her since September, and somehow she'd invited me to her best friend's birthday gathering. Big deal, right?

I spent forty-five minutes fixing my hair in the mirror before leaving. Even put on my dad's old fedora hat because Jordan said it was a "vintage aesthetic" party. Spoiler alert: nobody else was wearing hats. I spent the first twenty minutes casually carrying it like some weird prop.

The real disaster started when Jordan's mom brought out snacks. I'd been nervous all day, so when she offered me her "famous spinach dip," I shoveled it in. Huge mistake. Five minutes later, Maya waves at me and says, "Hey! Come swimming with us!"

My brain short-circuited. Was I about to jump in a pool with spinach in my teeth? I smiled—carefully—and mumbled something about needing to check my phone. Smooth, Leo. Really smooth.

I ended up at the edge of the pool, watching everyone splash around while pretending to be fascinated by Jordan's fish tank. Inside swam a single goldfish, just floating there while everyone partied around it.

"You okay?" Maya appeared beside me, dripping wet in her swimsuit. She'd noticed my awkward absence.

"Yeah, just... admiring the goldfish," I said, gesturing weakly. "He's living his best life out here."

Maya laughed. "That's Gary. We rescued him from my cousin's carnival prize debacle last year. He's basically the party mascot." She studied me for a second. "You know, you don't have to be cool all the time. It's just Jordan's house. We've all known each other since elementary school."

Something in her voice made me look up. She wasn't making fun of me. She was being... real.

"I have spinach in my teeth, don't I?" I asked, resigned.

"Honestly? A little bit," Maya grinned. "But I think Jordan's grandma is still looking for her hat, so you're not the weirdest thing happening today."

We laughed, and suddenly the hat didn't feel so heavy. Neither did the moment.

"Come on," Maya said, heading toward the pool. "Gary's not the only one who should be swimming today."

I took off the hat, left it with Gary, and jumped in.