Sweaty Palms & Silver Scales

Leo's lungs burned as he rounded the track for the third time, his running shoes slapping the rubber in a rhythm that matched his panic. Tryouts were tomorrow, and his best friend had just texted that Maya—the one with the perfect hair and impossible laugh—would definitely be watching.

"You need this," Chloe had insisted at lunch, sliding him a bright orange bottle. "My mom's new vitamin routine, it's literally life-changing. Part of her wellness pyramid scheme—well, pyramid business, whatever." She'd winked, because Chloe's mom was definitely running a multi-level marketing thing from their garage, but the gummies were actually decent.

Leo had almost choked on one when Maya tapped his shoulder yesterday.

"Hey, you're trying out for track, right?" She'd smelled like vanilla and something else—maybe the crisp, sweet scent she used to clean her fish tank. Because Maya was obsessed with her goldfish, Neptune. She had shown Leo pictures during biology last week. "He's got so much personality," she'd said, and Leo had nodded enthusiastically like he understood fish psychology.

Now, as he collapsed onto the grass, chest heaving, his phone buzzed. A text from Maya: *Neptune's sick. Pet store closes in 20. Can you drive me?*

Leo's palm was sweating as he gripped the phone. This was it—the opening scene of every teen movie he'd ever seen. The girl. The emergency. The chance to be the hero.

*On my way,* he typed, already running toward the parking lot, forgetting entirely that he'd left his backpack on the field.

The pet store clerk raised an eyebrow as Maya cradled a plastic bag containing a suspiciously healthy-looking goldfish. "He was just constipated," the clerk said dryly. "Feed him less."

Maya burst out laughing, and Leo found himself laughing too, sweating and ridiculous and holding a fish that wasn't even dying. The pyramid of anxiety he'd built in his head all week collapsed.

"Thanks for the rescue," Maya said as they walked back to her car. "You're literally my favorite person right now."

Leo thought about his vitamin gummies, his nervous track practices, the way he'd planned everything so carefully. Sometimes the best moments weren't the ones you planned for. Sometimes they were just about showing up for a constipated fish and a girl who laughed like sunshine.

"Anytime," Leo said, and for the first time all week, his voice didn't shake.