Goldie's Last Lap

Marcus's phone buzzed with another text from the swim group chat: 'Pool party at Jake's tonight! Everyone's swimming—except if you're scared lol.' He stared at his pet goldfish, Goldie, circling endlessly in her bowl on his nightstand.

'At least you don't have to worry about social suicide, Goldie,' he muttered, dropping a pinch of flakes into the water. 'You just swim in circles all day. Nobody's judging your lap times.'

Lightning flashed outside his window, illuminating the certificate on his wall: 'Participation Award — Junior Lifeguard Training Summer Camp.' His mom still didn't know he'd spent most of that summer hiding in the snack shack, terrified of the deep end.

Another buzz. 'Marcus? You coming?'

Running wasn't an option. Not this time. The entire freshman class would be at Jake's house, including Sophie, who'd actually looked at him in chemistry yesterday. He couldn't spend another Friday night 'studying' while everyone else lived actual lives.

'Maybe I should bring Goldie,' he joked to himself. 'She's a fish. She's probably faster than me.'

The goldfish swam to the surface, mouth opening and closing. Marcus squinted. Was she looking at him? Actually judging him? By a fish?

'You know what? Fine. I'll go. But if I embarrass myself, I'm blaming you.'

Running out the door with his swim trunks stuffed in his backpack, Marcus realized he'd left his phone on his nightstand. Too late now. Jake's house was three blocks away, and Sophie would be there in 45 minutes.

The thunder rumbled as he sprinted through the rain-slicked streets, Goldie's bowl suddenly feeling impossibly far away. Something about leaving her there, alone in the dark, made his stomach twist. She'd been his only real friend since elementary school, back when 'friends' meant people who didn't make fun of his awkwardness.

'You're being ridiculous,' he told himself. 'She's a fish.'

But he slowed to a stop, then turned around.

By the time he reached Jake's house, clutching a plastic-wrapped fish bowl like his life depended on it, his shirt was soaked through and Goldie was visibly stressed. Sophie stood on the porch, looking confused.

'Marcus? Is that... a goldfish?'

'Yeah,' he gasped, breathless. 'She's my emotional support animal. Long story.'

Sophie laughed—not mean, but real. 'That's actually kinda cool. My brother has a turtle he takes everywhere.'

Inside, Jake's massive pool twinkled with underwater lights. Marcus stood at the edge, Goldie's bowl beside him, while everyone else splashed and screamed. His hands shook.

'So,' Sophie said softly. 'You scared of the water?'

'Maybe,' Marcus whispered. 'Don't tell anyone.'

She nodded. 'I used to be terrified of lightning storms. Still kinda am.'

'You're swimming in a thunderstorm?'

'Safety tip: you're actually safer in the water than on land during a storm. Something about conductivity and how electricity works.' She grinned. 'I looked it up freshman year to convince myself to go to pool parties.'

Marcus stared at her. 'You looked up the science to justify your anxiety?'

'Totally. What's your excuse?'

He looked at Goldie, who was now calmly observing the chaos from her spot on the side. 'My fish is faster than me.'

Sophie laughed again. 'Prove it.'

So Marcus swam. Not perfectly, and definitely not fast. He doggy-paddled alongside Sophie, who swam graceful laps while he flailed and gasped. But he did it. And somewhere between the third and fourth lap, he realized Goldie was watching from her bowl, and somehow, that made it okay.

Later, wrapped in a towel with Sophie beside him and his fish safely on his lap, Marcus watched the lightning flash overhead. He wasn't fast. He wasn't brave. But he'd shown up.

'Same time next week?' Sophie asked.

'Maybe,' Marcus said, 'if Goldie says it's okay.'

Goldie swam a slow, satisfied circle in her bowl. Marcus took that as a yes.