The Goldfish in the Dugout

Marcus's hands shook as he clutched the plastic bag containing Fin—the actual goldfish, not some metaphor. His little sister's prized possession, currently swimming in circles like she knew something Marcus didn't.

"You're actually taking him?" Jade raised an eyebrow, her varsity jacket freshly starched. "That's... weirdly responsible for you."

"Shut up," Marcus muttered, but he couldn't hide the smile. Jade never missed a chance to roast him, but she was still here, still waiting for him outside the batting cages like she did every Friday.

The baseball diamond stretched behind them, empty under the streetlights. Coach had benched him last game—said he was playing like he was scared of the ball. Which was bull. Total bull. Marcus wasn't scared of anything except maybe never measuring up to his dad's legacy, or letting down his sister again, or the way his stomach did backflips whenever Jade stood too close.

"You gonna tell me what's wrong, or keep pretending that goldfish is carrying all your emotional baggage?" Jade leaned against the chain-link fence.

"My dad finally got the cable back after three months," Marcus said suddenly. "First thing that comes on? Some documentary about how goldfish have three-second memories. Made me think about how everyone treats us like we're just gonna forget everything that happens in high school. Like none of it matters."

Jade stared at him. "That's... actually kinda deep for someone who usually communicates in shrugs and baseball metaphors."

"I'm full of surprises."

"Yeah?" She stepped closer. "Like what?"

Marcus's heart hammered against his ribs. "Like how I've been practicing every day since Coach benched me. Like how I'm gonna start Tuesday's game and actually hit something for once. Like how I—"

"Finish that sentence and I will never let you live it down," but she was grinning.

Fin swam in his bag, three-second memory my ass. Some things you don't forget. Like the way Jade's hand brushed against his, electric and terrifying and perfect. Like the fact that tomorrow, Marcus would step up to the plate, and for the first time in forever, he wouldn't be thinking about failing.

"Game on," he said.

Jade's smile was everything. "Game on."