Goldfish & Vitamin Water

Maya's palms were literally sweating through her pockets as she shifted behind the vitamin counter at GreenLife Wellness. Three rows of alphabetized supplement bottles stood between her and the new guy stocking spinach in the produce section. His name was Leo, and he'd been working here exactly three days.

Her iPhone buzzed in her apron—probably Mia spamming their group chat with theories about why Leo kept looking her way. Maya risked a glance. Sure enough: 'he's def vibing u.'

"You good, Maya?" Mr. Henderson called from the front. "Those vitamin D shelves aren't going to face themselves."

"On it," she called back, spinning around too fast and nearly knocking over a display of omega-3 supplements.

Leo looked up from the spinach crate and smirked. Nice save.

Maya's face burned hotter than the time she'd fallen asleep in study hall with drool on her chin. She grabbed a bottle of vitamin C and started aggressively facing it forward, like it had personally offended her.

The store goldfish—Floaty, according to the hand-written note taped to his bowl—swam lazily in his corner of the counter. Sometimes Maya felt like him. Just swimming in circles, doing the same thing every day, while everyone else seemed to know what they were doing.

"Hey."

Maya jumped. Leo was standing there, leaning against the vitamin display like it was the most natural thing in the world. Up close, his eyes were actually golden-brown, not just brown. "You want help with that?"

"I'm good," she squeaked, then cleared her throat. "I mean, yeah, sure. Thanks."

They worked in silence for a minute, him handing her bottles, her arranging them like her life depended on it. The clock ticked. Her phone buzzed again. Floaty did a little flip in his bowl.

"So," Leo said suddenly. "There's this party at Jenna's on Friday. You going?"

Maya's brain short-circuited. Party. Friday. Leo asking if she was going. This was it—the moment every coming-of-age movie had prepared her for.

"Maybe?" she managed. "If I'm not working."

"Cool." He smiled, and it wasn't a smirk anymore. "I'll see you there. If you decide to come."

He walked back to the spinach, and Maya stood there holding a bottle of vitamin B12, feeling like she might levitate. Her palms weren't sweating anymore. They were just warm.

Her phone lit up with Mia's message: 'WELL??'

Maya typed back: 'i think i just got invited to my first party.'

Then she added: 'also my hands are shaking is this normal'

Floaty swam by, looking unimpressed. Whatever, fish. This was going to be the best Friday ever.