The Goldfish Monologues

Maya's cat, Barnaby, sat atop the cardboard pyramid she'd built for her history project, his tail flicking with what she swear was judgment. The pyramid was supposed to represent social hierarchy—basic stuff, except now Barnaby had claimed the apex position, which honestly felt like a metaphor for something.

"You're literally sitting on my GPA," Maya told him, but Barnaby just blinked and continued his reign.

Her phone buzzed. Group chat blowing up about Jake's party tonight, and Maya still hadn't decided whether to go. Last house party she'd attended, she'd spent two hours in the bathroom having a panic attack while some guy named Chad threw up in the bathtub. Peak teenage experience, honestly.

The goldfish—Captain Fin, because Maya's twelve-year-old self had been nothing if not creative—circled his bowl in endless loops. She envied him sometimes. Just swimming, eating flakes, existing without overthinking whether existing was the right choice.

"At least someone's living his best life," Maya muttered, sprinkling fish food into Captain Fin's domain.

Her phone again. Jake: "yo u coming?? everyone's asking bout u"

Maya stared at the pyramid. Barnaby had moved to the second tier, apparently deciding even absolute monarchs needed breaks. Social hierarchy, she thought. Everyone trying to climb to the top, but what happens when you get there? Barnaby seemed to suggest the answer was: take a nap and judge everyone else.

Maybe that was the whole point. Maybe high school wasn't about reaching the apex of whatever pyramid someone had constructed. Maybe it was about finding your own tier, your own pace, like Captain Fin just doing his loops regardless of who was watching.

She texted Jake back: "yeah omw"

Barnaby yawned, stretched, and descended to pyramid level three. The revolution would be televised, apparently. Maya grabbed her jacket, checked her reflection, and decided tonight she'd shoot for somewhere in the middle of the pyramid—not too high, not too low. Just her own tier, swimming in circles like a boss.