Goldfish Karma

Maya clutched the plastic bag like her life depended on it. Inside, a goldfish—Jerry—swam in panicked circles, completely unaware that he was about to crash the biggest party of sophomore year.

"You're actually bringing that?" Kaelee raised an eyebrow, her lip gloss catching the porch light. "Retro, but weird."

"My mom's hosting a book club and banned all pets from the house. Jerry's innocent collateral damage."

Inside, the bass hit like a physical force. Someone's older brother had managed to snag the whole premium cable package for the party, and music videos blasted from every screen. Maya spotted Tyler by the snacks, wearing that oversized hoodie that made him look annoyingly effortless.

She made it approximately thirty seconds before disaster struck.

A golden retriever—someone's dog, obviously uninvited—burst through the sliding door, having escaped whatever yard or porch he'd been left on. Chaos erupted. People screamed, drinks spilled, and Maya, in a moment of pure reflex, jerked her hand to protect Jerry.

The bag went flying. Jerry and his water splashed across Tiffany's pristine white sneakers.

"My shoes!" Tiffany shrieked. "My LIMITED EDITION shoes!"

The dog, sensing opportunity, bounded toward the puddle.

"No!" Maya lunged, but it was too late. The dog shook its head, sending goldfish water and one very confused goldfish across the gathering crowd.

Absolute silence descended. Then someone started laughing. Then another person. Within seconds, the whole party was losing it.

Maya wanted to disappear. Instead, she knelt beside Jerry, who was somehow still flopping on the hardwood floor.

"I can't bear this," she whispered.

A hand appeared beside hers. Tyler, kneeling, carefully scooped Jerry into his cupped palms. His hazel eyes crinkled with something like amusement.

"Honestly?" He grinned. "This is the most interesting thing that's happened at one of Jackson's parties since he tried to DJ that one time."

He helped her transfer Jerry into a proper bowl someone found. The dog's owner was located, Tiffany's shoes were deemed salvageable, and the party kept going like nothing had happened.

But Maya noticed something changed. People kept coming up to her, asking about Jerry, wanting to see the legendary goldfish who'd disrupted the social order. Even Kaelee admitted it was "lowkey iconic."

And Tyler stayed by her side most of the night, apparently fascinated by her pet-sitting misadventures.

Sometimes, Maya thought as she walked home with Jerry safely resettled in his proper bowl, the worst moments became the best stories. And that was pretty much high school in a nutshell.