Goldfish in the Deep End

Maya stood by the snack table, clutching her water bottle like it was a lifeline. The pool party was in full swing—literally, with people doing cannonballs and creating waves that splashed against the concrete edge. She felt like a goldfish trapped in a bowl, watching everyone else swim freely while she stayed safely in the shallow end of social interaction.

Her best friend Dalia appeared beside her, handing her a gummy vitamin from her pocket. "For your nerves. You look like you're about to throw up."

Maya swallowed it gratefully. "Is it obvious? I've been trying to spy on Jordan and his friends without being creepy, but I'm failing miserably."

"You're not being creepy," Dalia said, rolling her eyes. "You're observing your crush from a respectful distance. There's a difference."

Jordan was by the diving board, laughing at something his friends said. Maya had been crushing on him since freshman year, when they'd been paired up for a biology project and he'd helped her through her panic attack before the presentation. He didn't know she existed beyond that, but she'd been low-key spying on his social media ever since—following, liking, occasionally accidentally watching his stories from three weeks ago at 2 AM.

The worst part? She couldn't even swim properly. She'd never learned, a shameful secret she carried like a heavy bear on her back. At pool parties, she was always the one holding everyone's towels, the designated watcher of personal belongings.

Suddenly, Jordan looked over and caught her eye. Maya's heart did that thing where it forgot how to beat properly. He started walking toward her, water dripping from his swim trunks, and she realized she was still holding Dalia's sweaty vitamin wrapper.

"Hey, Maya," he said, wiping water from his face. "Want to come in? The water's actually not too cold today."

"Oh, I—I'm good," she stammered, her face heating up. "I ate too recently. Cramp danger zone, you know."

"Maybe next time then," he said easily, like it was normal to invite her into his world. "I've been meaning to ask—did you see that documentary about marine biology? I know you're into that stuff."

Maya stood frozen as he walked away, Dalia practically vibrating beside her. "He remembers you like marine biology?! This is it! This is your moment!"

"I literally just made up an excuse to not swim in front of my crush," Maya groaned. "I'm hopeless."

"No," Dalia said, grabbing her hand. "You're a goldfish who's about to discover she's actually a shark. Now go talk to him before I lose my mind."