The Goldfish Graveyard

Marcus's friend Javi had been acting weird all week—stumbling through the halls like a zombie, eyes half-closed, responding to everything with a low groan. But Marcus knew the truth: Javi was just wrecked from finals week, same as everyone else at North Valley High.

They sat behind the bleachers during fifth period, Javi peeling an orange with agonizing slowness. The citrus smell cut through the stale gym air.

"Dude," Javi said, finally looking up. "I did something."

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Okay, but you have to promise not to judge me, or I'm literally throwing this orange at you."

"Bro, you're not gonna throw anything. You throw like you're batting cleanup for the worst baseball team in the league."

Javi flipped him off, but he was smiling. Then he got serious again. "My dad's goldfish died. The one he's had since before me and Sofia were born."

"Oh damn." Marcus paused. "So where does the weirdness come in?"

"I replaced it," Javi said quietly. "With one that looks exactly the same from the pet store. But here's the thing—I think the new one knows. Like, it keeps staring at me through the glass. And it won't eat the flakes. It's like it's judging my life choices."

Marcus lost it. He was laughing so hard he had to clutch his sides. "You're being haunted by a goldfish? That's your villain origin story right there."

"Shut up, I'm serious! What if it tells on me?"

"It's a fish, Javi. It doesn't speak English."

"You don't know what it knows!" Javi insisted, though he was grinning now too. The zombie fog had lifted from his face.

Marcus punched his shoulder. "Hey, at least your dad won't find out. And now you've got a goldfish with character. Plot twist: it's secretly a genius."

Javi finally ate a slice of orange, considering this. "You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

"Absolutely," Marcus said. "But you're my friend, so I'm legally required to enable your delusions."

They sat there until the bell rang, and neither of them moved. The goldfish secret hung between them—stupid and weird and perfect. Some things were better kept between bleachers, away from the noise of everything else.