Goldfish Operations

Maya's life was basically a series of awkward moments strung together by TikTok breaks and overthinking. So when she started noticing the same guy everywhere—by her locker, at the coffee shop, literally three rows behind her in calc—her brain immediately went to creepy places. She was being stalked. Obviously.

"I'm basically living in a spy movie," she vented to Keisha, shoving textbooks into her already-bursting backpack. "Only instead of cool gadgets and martini glasses, I've got anxiety attacks and a vegan dairy allergy."

Keisha didn't look up from her phone. "Maybe he just thinks you're cute? Have you considered that option?"

"Option B," Maya deadpanned. "Right after Option A, which is obviously the government monitoring my Starbucks order."

The situation escalated when she caught the guy taking pictures. Through the window of Pet Universe, where Maya had impulsively stopped after track practice to stare at the betta fish because they were the only creatures having a worse day than her. He was holding his phone up, definitely aiming it at her. Maya's heart did that thing where it forgot how to heart properly.

But then he walked inside, and she recognized him. Lucas, from the library. The guy who'd helped her find sources for that English project she'd procrastinated on until 2 AM the night before it was due. He wasn't even looking at her—he was holding his phone toward the wall of goldfish tanks.

"They're mirror carp," he said, like this was normal conversation. "See how they're all swimming in synchronized patterns? There's something wrong with the tank filtration, so they're stressed and schooling harder."

Maya stared. "You're... documenting stressed fish?"

"It's for the store's Instagram," Lucas shrugged. "I'm their social media intern. I've been trying to get the perfect shot of their weird behavior for, like, three days." He gestured toward the tanks. "Apparently fish anxiety is really relatable content. Who knew?"

"Literally everyone," Maya said. "Every teenager everywhere."

He laughed, and Maya felt something in her chest unclench. "So you weren't spying on me?"

"Unless you're secretly a goldfish, no." Lucas paused. "But you're always running when I see you. Track practice?"

"Yeah, but I'm mostly running away from my responsibilities. It's a whole lifestyle."

"Cool," he said. "Well, if you ever want to hang out without fish involved, I could show you this really terrible spot behind the gym where all the pets get released after graduation. It's basically a teen drama hotspot."

Maya grinned, already pulling out her phone. "Only if the fish come too."