The Goldfish Incident

Maya's crush was currently standing by the snacks, looking like actual lightning had struck him—messy hair, crooked grin, completely oblivious to her existence. Typical.

"Just go talk to him already," Chloe whispered, shoving Maya forward. "You're literally radiating nervous energy from three feet away."

Maya smoothed her orange crop top for the thousandth time. "I can't. What if I say something weird? What if I—"

A gray blur streaked past her legs. Barnaby, the host's cat, bolted through the party with something silver and flopping in his mouth.

"OH MY GOD," someone screamed. "IS THAT A GOLDFISH?"

The room erupted into chaos. Everyone chased the cat through the kitchen, down the hall, and straight into Lucas's path. Maya's crush got knocked sideways by a sophomore, stumbling directly into her.

"Whoa," he said, grabbing her arms to steady himself. "You okay?"

Their faces were inches apart. His eyes were the exact same color as the wall behind him—a soft, warm brown. Up close, he smelled like vanilla and something woodsy.

"Yeah," Maya managed. "That cat is absolutely unhinged."

Lucas laughed, and it was this genuine sound that made something in her chest do a little flip. "Barnaby? Yeah, he's a menace. Last week he stole my biology homework."

They ended up sitting on the front porch steps together while the Great Fish Rescue of 2024 continued inside. Maya learned Lucas played soccer, secretly loved trashy reality TV, and had absolutely zero game—which somehow made him more attractive.

"So," he said, "I was gonna come over and talk to you earlier, but I got nervous."

Maya stared at him. "You? Nervous?"

"Duh." Lucas's ears turned pink. "You're, like, the prettiest girl here."

The fish rescue squad burst out the front door, Barnaby still clenching his prize. The cat made a break for freedom, fish and all, as eight drunk teenagers gave chase down the street.

Maya and Lucas looked at each other and started laughing.

"This is the weirdest party ever," she said.

"Yeah," he agreed, his hand finding hers on the porch step. "But definitely not the worst."

Inside, Maya's phone buzzed with a text from Chloe: THE FISH IS FINE (somehow). Also YOU'RE WELCOME.

Maya smiled into the darkness, Lucas's thumb tracing circles on her palm. Some nights were just built different.