Operation: Pool Party Recon

The chlorine hit Maya's nose before she even stepped through the gate. Jordyn's annual Memorial Day pool party—ground zero for summer social dynamics. Maya adjusted her swimsuit straps, feeling like she'd rather be literally anywhere else.

"You're doing it," Jordyn hissed, yanking Maya behind a strategically placed potted palm. "I need you to spy on Tyler. See if he mentions me."

Maya blinked. "Since when amously your personal FBI agent?"

"Since you're the only person he doesn't know is obsessed with him. Now GO." Jordyn gave her a shove that sent Maya stumbling toward the snack table.

Great. Perfect. This was fine. Maya was totally capable of casually extracting information from a guy she'd barely spoken to since that one time they'd been partners in bio freshman year. She grabbed a red solo cup, mostly for something to do with her hands.

She found Tyler exactly where she expected—lounging on a pool float shaped like a giant pizza slice, looking unfairly good in swim trunks that matched his eyes. But what he was doing made her pause. He wasn't scrolling through Instagram or chatting up the sophomore girls who kept blatantly passing by. He was...

"Is that a goldfish?" The words escaped before she could stop them.

Tyler jumped, nearly capsizing his pizza slice. In a plastic bowl floating beside him, a tiny orange fish swam in tight, confused circles. "Oh. Hey. Yeah, his name is Bubbles."

"You brought a goldfish to a pool party?"

"My sister's supposed to be watching him while she's at camp, but I came home yesterday and he was literally floating sideways." He gestured helplessly at the fish. "I couldn't just leave him to die. He seemed lonely."

Maya felt something weird happen in her chest. Like, actually emotional about a fish. "That's... oddly thoughtful?"

"People always say goldfish have three-second memories," Tyler said, watching Bubbles navigate his tiny plastic universe. "But I don't know. Sometimes I think Bubbles recognizes me when I come home. Maybe he's just swimming in circles because he's bored, not because he forgot where he is."

The pool party noise faded to the background—splash fights, someone blasting Doja Cat, Jordyn signaling furiously from across the deck. Maya stood there, damp hair dripping down her back, suddenly hyper-aware that she'd spent the entire year treating her own feelings like they had the attention span of a goldfish. New crush every two weeks. Pass interest until something shinier came along.

But Tyler was here, protecting a five-dollar pet because he couldn't stand the thought of something being lonely.

"Hey," she heard herself say. "My shift as Jordyn's spy is officially over. You want company?"

Tyler's smile was genuine and surprised. "Only if you don't mind talking to a fish."

"I think," Maya said, setting down her cup, "I might actually prefer it."