Goldfish in the Fiber Optic Age

The cable guy was supposed to show between noon and four, which basically meant never, according to Mom. So of course that's when Leo decided it was the perfect time to practice his parkour moves, because nothing says "responsible teenager" like jumping off backyard furniture right when your mom's at work and there's a stranger coming to fix the internet.

Leo wiped sweat from his forehead. He'd been running drills all morning, ever since Marcus texted that Jessica's party would definitely have an obstacle course in the backyard because her dad was basically gym-teacher-obsessed. Leo needed to prepare. He wasn't exactly athletic—more like "chosen last for everything until seventh grade when everyone stopped picking teams entirely"—but he was trying to change that narrative.

"You're the new kid, Leo," Marcus had said yesterday. "You gotta establish your brand."

Leo's brand so far: awkward, quiet, and that one time he somehow got spinach stuck in his braces during lunch and didn't realize until third period, when Sarah pointed it out and he literally wanted to dissolve into the floor.

He'd been running through his parkour sequence—vault over the garden gnome, roll across the grass, stick the landing on the patio—when the cable guy pulled up. Older, maybe mid-twenties, with a company shirt and a tool belt that looked like it weighed more than Leo.

"Hey man," the cable guy said, setting down his equipment. "You training for something?"

"Yeah," Leo said, then immediately regretted it. "There's this party..."

The cable guy nodded like this made perfect sense. "I get it. Freshman year?"

"How'd you know?"

"You've got that vibe." The guy started unscrewing the cable box from the side of the house. "I was terrified of parties back then. Still am, honestly." He paused. "You know what helped?"

Leo waited.

"My sister's goldfish." The guy laughed at Leo's expression. "No, seriously. She won it at a carnival, right? This tiny thing in a plastic bag. She kept it on her desk and talked to it every day. We all thought she was crazy, but that fish lived for seven years."

"Okay..."

"Point is, she didn't care what anyone thought. She just loved her goldfish, and eventually everyone else loved it too because she made it cool by not trying to be cool." The cable guy tightened something with a wrench. "Whatever happens at this party, just own it. Even if you faceplant. Especially if you faceplant."

Leo thought about the spinach incident. About how Sarah had actually sat with him at lunch afterward and they'd talked about their favorite TV shows. About how Marcus had texted him later saying "dude everyone gets food in their teeth it's not that deep."

"You're right," Leo said.

"I usually am." The cable guy packed up his tools. "Internet's fixed, by the way. You're welcome."

Leo's phone buzzed. Marcus: party starts at 7 don't overthink it

Leo didn't run any more drills. Instead, he went inside, made himself a sandwich with extra spinach, and ate it without checking his reflection in the spoon. He'd faceplant tomorrow if he was going to faceplant. At least he'd do it on his own terms.