Poolside Pyramids

Marcus pulled his snapback low, like the bill could somehow shield him from the absolute social nightmare unfolding before him. The Taylor family's above-ground pool glittered with what seemed like every single person from sophomore year, and somewhere in that mass of chlorine and body spray was Skylar.

"Yo Marcus, you gonna stand there all day or actually swim?" Jeremy called out, splashing water from where he was holding court in the shallow end. Because that's what it was—a straight-up pyramid. The popular kids at the top, everyone else trying desperately not to sink to the bottom. Marcus had been hovering at ground level for three years now.

He'd played baseball since freshman year, hoping being the starting pitcher would finally launch him into the upper echelon. It hadn't. Apparently throwing a wicked curveball meant nothing when you still couldn't talk to girls without your voice cracking.

The real problem? He'd won this ridiculous goldfish at the spring carnival—the one with the bug eyes and orange scales like a tiny, swimming traffic cone—and he'd jokingly told Skylar he was naming it Skylar Jr., and she'd actually laughed. Not the polite laugh either, but the real one. And now he was supposed to give her the fish because her mom said she could have one, but every time he tried to approach her at this party, his brain short-circuited.

"Whatever." Marcus set the fishbowl on a patio table and adjusted his hat again. "I can do this. I'm a starting pitcher. I face down batters who can hit 80 mph fastballs."

He grabbed two sodas from the cooler. Casual. Not weird. Just a guy bringing a girl a drink while simultaneously handing over a live animal that would probably die within a week.

Skylar was sitting on the pool edge with her feet in the water. Marcus's stomach did that thing where it felt like he'd swallowed a whole swarm of butterflies. He walked over, legs moving like they belonged to someone else.

"Hey," he managed. She looked up, water droplets glistening on her shoulders like actual stars. "Your... um. Your fish."

The fishbowl sat between them. The goldfish stared at them both, looking distinctly unimpressed.

"You named him Skylar Jr., right?" She smiled, and it was like the sun coming out. "That's so weirdly cute."

"Yeah, well." Marcus adjusted his hat for the fiftieth time. "You said you wanted one."

She moved over on the pool edge, patting the space beside her. "Sit down, Baseball Boy."

Marcus sat. The pyramid didn't seem so tall from down here. The fish swam in lazy circles, completely unaware that it had just changed everything.