Goldfish Liberation Front

The social pyramid at Lincoln High had Jake at the very top—varsity quarterback, perfect hair, Instagram famous. I was somewhere near the bottom, clinging to the middle by my fingertips. So when I got invited to his legendary end-of-summer pool party, I knew I had to show up and show out. My best friend Nia helped me pick this outfit that said 'effortlessly cool' even though I'd spent forty-five minutes curling my hair.

Standing by the pool, nursing a lukewarm soda, I felt like everyone was watching. Like a goldfish in a bowl, swimming in endless circles, performing for an audience I couldn't see. My palms were sweating so badly I had to keep wiping them on my denim shorts. The water looked so inviting—Jake's backyard had these actual palm trees planted around the pool area, giving the whole thing a tropical resort vibe that was exactly as extra as you'd expect.

Then I saw Jake's younger sister Mia in the corner, holding a net and what looked like a plastic bag filled with water. Goldfish. From Jake's room. She caught my eye and mouthed 'help me free them.' And suddenly, I had a choice. Stay safely at the bottom of the pyramid, or liberate some fish who definitely didn't ask to live in Jake's bedroom.

I took the bag from her. We both crept to the pool's edge. The water was perfect—cool and chlorinated and ready. I dumped them in. The goldfish did this confused little spiral before darting off into the deep end, like they couldn't believe their luck. Nia found me three minutes later. 'Did you just Jake's brother's goldfish?' she whispered, eyes wide. 'He's been looking for those everywhere.' We dissolved into giggles, pool water lapping at our toes, while somewhere below the surface, five goldfish swam free. Sometimes you just gotta create your own moments.