Goldfish in the Deep End

Maya's oversized sun hat felt ridiculous, but it was her armor. At 14, everything armor-adjacent was necessary when your best friend Sierra dragged you to Jake Morrison's pool party. The alleged shirtless god of sophomore year would be there. Allegedly.

"You look fine," Sierra promised, which meant Maya looked about 67% fine.

The party was already chaos when they arrived. People were doing cannonballs off the diving board, someone's phone was blasting music that rattled the patio speakers, and Jake Morrison was indeed shirtless and确实 unfairly fit.

Then Maya spotted it: a plastic bag containing a single goldfish, abandoned on a patio table near the snacks.

"Someone won a carnival prize and forgot their fish?" Maya whispered. The goldfish swam in tiny, frantic circles. It looked exactly how Maya felt.

"Leave it," Sierra said, already migrating toward a group of volleyball players.

But Maya couldn't. She carried the fish toward the pool's edge, away from the noise, trying to decide what to do with this accidental pet she'd somehow acquired. That's when she saw Jake Morrison sitting alone on the pool steps, looking completely miserable despite being the designated host.

"Hey," she said, feeling stupid with her hat and her goldfish.

He looked up. "Is that... a fish?"

"His name is Kevin," she said, because why not. "Won him at a carnival. Forgot him. Tragic backstory."

Jake laughed, actually laughed. "Kevin looks lonely."

"Kevin needs a friend," Maya agreed. "Also, I think your charging cable is behind the chaise lounge. Your phone's at 3%."

He stared at her, then smiled. And for the first time since walking through the gate, Maya didn't feel like she was drowning in the shallow end.

"Thanks," he said. "For Kevin. And the cable warning."

She sat on the pool edge, feet in the water. "Anytime."

The goldfish swam in his bag. Maya dipped her hand in the pool. For once, she wasn't the one frantic in tiny circles.