Goldfish Secrets

The fluorescent lights of the pet store hummed against my skull as I stared at the goldfish tank. Another day of high school, another lunch period spent hiding.

"You're always running away from the cafeteria," Chloe said, sliding onto the bench next to me. "It's like you're a secret agent or something."

I pulled my beanie hat lower over my forehead. Secret agent. If only she knew.

The truth? I was totally crushing on Chloe's brother Marcus, who happened to be dating my ex-best friend Jessica. The social equivalent of a bear trap — one wrong move and SNAP, your social life is over.

"I'm not a spy," I muttered, watching a orange fish swim in endless circles. "I just like fish."

Chloe studied me. "You know, Marcus was asking about you yesterday."

My heart did that embarrassing flutter thing. "What? Why?"

"He noticed you at the game Friday. Wearing that ridiculous gold hat." She grinned. "He said you looked like a vibe."

A vibe. Marcus called me a vibe.

"But here's the thing," Chloe continued, her voice dropping. "Jessica caught him staring at your Instagram. Now she thinks you're plotting something. So yeah, she basically thinks you're a spy."

I stopped breathing. Jessica, queen of our grade, thought I was competition? For Marcus?

The goldfish broke the surface, gulping air.

"Tell her I'm not interested," I said, standing up so fast my backpack knocked over a display of fish food. "Tell her I was only wearing the hat because my hair looked terrible after gym class. Tell her —"

"Or," Chloe cut me off, "you could actually talk to him."

The fluorescent lights didn't seem so bright anymore. My legs stopped feeling like they needed to carry me away from everything.

"Yeah," I said, finally meeting Chloe's eyes. "Maybe."

The goldfish swam another lap, and for once, I didn't feel like I was running in circles too.