Goldfish Operations

The **pool** party at Tyler's house was the social event of the summer, and I was currently hiding behind a rhododendron bush like a total weirdo. My mission: **spy** on Maya—the girl I'd been lowkey crushing on since seventh grade—and figure out if she was still with that jerk Josh. Spoiler alert: she was, and they looked way too cozy splashing **water** at each other in the shallow end.

"Dude, what are you doing?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin. It was Leo, my neighbor and unwilling accomplice in my "romantic reconnaissance." He was holding a bag of **orange** chips like he was at a movie instead of crouching in someone's bushes.

"Gathering intelligence," I hissed. "Strategic advantage."

"You look like you're planning a kidnapping."

Before I could defend my extremely non-creepy motives, someone screamed from inside the house. "THE **GOLDFISH** ESCAPED!"

Wait, what?

Turns out Tyler's little sister had won a goldfish at the carnival, and now it was apparently MIA. Chaos erupted—wet teenagers in various states of dress were running everywhere, and I realized this was my chance. Operation Mingle With The Cool Kids was officially a go.

I "bravely volunteered" to help search the backyard. Five minutes later, I was ankle-deep in the garden pond with Maya, our hands accidentally brushing as we peered into the murky water.

"Found it!" I yelled, triumphantly holding up the fish. But in my excitement, I slipped, and we both went down into the shallow pond.

Maya was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe. I was soaked, pond-weed in my hair, probably looking like a drowned rat, but somehow this was the best moment of my life.

"You know," she said, wiping pond water from her face, "you're actually pretty funny when you're not being a spy."

My face burned hotter than the sun. She'd seen me? The whole time?

"Don't worry," she added with a wink. "Your secret's safe with me."

Sometimes the best things happen when your carefully planned operations completely fall apart. Also, I learned that goldfish are surprisingly slippery, and that girls who laugh while covered in pond scum are definitely the kind worth crushing on.