Goldfish in the Deep End

Maya's orange hair floated around her like seaweed as she clung to the pool ladder. The community center pool was packed — everyone from sophomore year was there, including Tyler, who was currently doing cannonballs off the diving board like he owned the place.

"Yo, Maya! You gonna swim or just hold up the wall?" Tyler called out, grinning that stupid grin that made her stomach do backflips.

"I'm thinking about it," she muttered, even though she'd been "thinking about it" for twenty minutes.

Then she saw it — a tiny goldfish swimming near the surface, darting between legs and inner tubes. Someone must've dumped a prize from the carnival next door. The poor thing was way out of its depth in this chlorine-filled chaos.

Before she could talk herself out of it, Maya pushed off the wall. She was swimming toward it when Jason — the actual bull of North High, who'd made her life miserable since seventh grade — lunged through the water on a collision course with the tiny fish.

"Got it!" Jason yelled, surfacing with the goldfish cupped in his hands. "Look at this little guy! Think I can keep it in my locker?"

The fish was flopping. Its gills were working way too hard.

"Give it here," Maya said, surprising herself.

Jason laughed. "Or what?"

"Or I'm telling everyone you still sleep with a stuffed shark," she said calmly. "Your sister told me."

Jason froze. He dumped the goldfish into her cupped palms and slunk away.

Maya carried the fish to the edge, where Tyler was waiting.

"That was kind of epic," he said, his voice different than usual. "Need help getting it to the fountain?"

They walked together, dripping wet, the goldfish safe between them. For once, Maya's orange hair didn't feel like something to hide behind.

"Hey," Tyler said. "Next party, you don't have to wait on the stairs."

She smiled. "Yeah. I know."