Goldfish in the Sphinx's Hat

Maya's goldfish memory was malfunctioning. That's the only explanation for why she was back at Chloe's house, the bass vibrating through her Converse, clutching an orange soda like it was her only lifeline.

"You good?" Jeremy asked. His hair was doing that thing where it looked故意 messy but took twenty minutes to perfect.

"So good," Maya lied, her voice cracking. She'd been having a crush on Jeremy since September, and tonight was supposedly her chance to make a move. Instead, she'd spent forty-five minutes admiring the homemade sphinx costume Chloe's older brother had constructed for the party theme—a literal cardboard sphinx head mounted on the wall, complete with glued-on sequin eyes that seemed to judge everyone's dance moves.

The weirdest part? Some freshman was wearing a top hat that said "FRESH PRINCE" in Sharpie, and he'd been bobbing near the snack table like a confused penguin all night.

Maya's goldfish-brain spiral started again: *What if Jeremy thinks I'm basic? What if I say something awkward? What if I forget how to words?*

Then she saw it: the actual goldfish bowl on the mantelpiece, containing a single, lonely fish swimming in endless circles.

"That fish is living its best life," Jeremy said, suddenly beside her. "No overthinking, just vibes."

Maya laughed. "I feel seen by a fish."

"Same." Jeremy's hand brushed hers. "Wanna go look at the sphinx closer? I think it has something written on its forehead."

They walked over together. The sphinx did indeed have writing: *PROPERTY OF KEVIN. IF FOUND, PLEASE RETURN.*

"Kevin's been looking for this since Halloween," Jeremy said. "Also, I like your hat."

"This is my hair," Maya said, touching her curls. "But thanks."

"No, I mean—it's like you're wearing confidence like it's this whole aesthetic." Jeremy smiled. "It's cool."

Her goldfish memory reset. Social anxiety? Gone. Overthinking? Canceled. She grabbed his hand. "Wanna dance?"

The freshman in the top hat cheered. The sphinx watched, judging but approving. And somewhere, a goldfish swam in circles, probably thinking about how awkward high school humans were.

Maybe having goldfish memory wasn't so bad. You could just keep restarting until you got it right.