Swimming in Shallow Water

Maya stared at the goldfish bowl on her nightstand. Leonard drifted through the fake plastic plant, his orange scales catching the afternoon light. At least someone's life was simple.

Her iPhone buzzed for the third time in ten minutes.

*u coming to jess's?*

*everyone's gonna b there*

*???*

Maya groaned and tossed the phone onto her quilt. Three months ago, she'd been at every party, every hangout, every "we need to talk about boys" session. But since the incident—since she'd finally told her friend group that she wasn't interested in dating, wasn't sure what she was interested in, actually—things had been weird. Not bad-weird, just... quiet-weird.

Her mom's voice floated up from downstairs. "Maya! Spinach's wilting! Come help me with dinner!"

She dragged herself down. Her mom stood at the counter, surrounded by grocery bags.

"What's with the long face?" her mom asked, not looking up from the spinach she was washing.

"Nothing."

"Nothing doesn't look like that." Her mom paused. "Is it about Jess's party?"

Maya shrugged.

"Honey, real friends don't disappear because you're figuring yourself out. They stick around for the messy parts."

Outside, someone called her name. It was Lucas from the baseball team, waving from the sidewalk. He was the new kid, quiet, always wearing that faded blue cap.

"Hey!" he shouted. "I found something cool behind the dugway. Wanna see?"

Before she could think, Maya found herself outside. Lucas led her to the baseball field where a litter of kittens had been born under the bleachers. They knelt in the dirt, watching them squirm and mew, and somehow Maya was telling him everything—about the party, about feeling like she didn't fit anywhere anymore, about Leonard the goldfish being her only drama-free relationship.

Lucas nodded. "I get it. I moved here four times before ninth grade. You learn pretty fast that the people who matter don't make you work for it."

Her phone buzzed again. Maya glanced at it, then back at the kittens, at Lucas's easy smile. She typed back: *actually busy tonight. maybe next time.*

Leonard got an extra pinch of fish food that night. Maya lay in bed scrolling through photos of kittens with Lucas, already planning to text him tomorrow. Sometimes the scariest turns lead to the best views.