The Goldfish Incident

Maya felt like a straight-up zombie after finals week. Three hours of sleep each night will do that to you. Her brain was mush, her eyes burned, and her social battery was hovering at 2%.

"You HAVE to come to Jordan's party tonight," Tyra insisted, adjusting her crop top in Maya's mirror. "It's literally the last one before summer break."

"My golden retriever, Buster, has zero chill," Maya groaned into her pillow. "Last party? He ate an entire pizza. IN FRONT OF EVERYONE. I still haven't lived that down."

"So leave him home. Problem solved."

Not that simple. Maya's parents were out of town, leaving her responsible for keeping her little sister's science project alive: a goldfish named Neptune who apparently needed precise feeding schedules or something.

"I can't. Neptune might die. And I have to bear witness to this tragedy because it was MY fault his last fish became a floater."

Tyra gasped. "Wait. You're bringing THE fish to Jordan's?"

It seemed insane in hindsight. But there she was, clutching a plastic bag with Neptune inside, watching Buster circle her legs like a shark. The party was already loud when they arrived.

"Is that... a goldfish?" Riley, Jordan's older brother, raised an eyebrow. He was gorgeous. Maya's stomach did that annoying flutter thing.

"Long story," she mumbled, face burning.

Then Buster spotted Riley's cat.

"BEAR!" someone screamed, and suddenly Maya's eighty-pound dog was crashing through the house, sending solo cups flying, teenagers scattering. Chaos. Absolute chaos.

Riley dove, catching Buster mid-lunge. The dog sat, tail thumping, pleased with himself.

"Nice dog," Riley said, breathless. "Great personality."

"He's a lot," Maya admitted.

"Yeah." Riley grinned, motioning to the goldfish bag. "But so is bringing a fish to a house party. That's kind of iconic, honestly."

Maya laughed. Actually laughed. For the first time in weeks.

"Want help with Neptune?" Riley asked. "I know a thing or two about keeping pets alive."

And just like that, the zombie fog lifted. Being messy and awkward and chaotic? Maybe that wasn't so terrible after all.