The Goldfish Prophecy

Jordan's hair was doing that thing again—flipping up at the back like a defiant question mark. He smoothed it down for the third time, but it sprang back, mocking him.

"You look nervous," Chloe said, grinning as she grabbed his palm. "Let me see what your future holds."

The baseball team's end-of-year party hummed around them—soda cans cracking, someone's terrible playlist, the smell of chips and teenage awkwardness. Jordan had spent the whole night avoiding eye contact with varsity captain Tyler, who still didn't know Jordan existed.

"Okay, so..." Chloe traced the lines on his palm with manic concentration. "You're gonna meet someone. Like, really soon. Someone who changes everything."

Jordan rolled his eyes. "Right. Because palm readings are so accurate."

"I'm serious!" She pointed at a tiny line. "See this? This means unexpected connection. And this one—" she tapped another "—means someone who's been there all along."

Whatever. Jordan grabbed another vitamin gummy from the bowl—his mom had packed them, insisting he needed his nutrients during "growth spurts"—and escaped to the backyard.

That's when he found Tyler by the garden pond, staring at the single goldfish swimming in lazy circles.

"Hey," Tyler said, looking up. "This guy's been following me around all night. I think he's lonely."

"His name is Bubbles," Jordan said, then cringed. Why did he say that?

But Tyler laughed. "No way. You named him?"

"My sister won him at a carnival last year. Nobody else wanted him, so... yeah. I kinda ended up being his person."

Tyler studied him for a second. "That's actually really cool. I wish I had, like... a thing. Something that was mine."

They sat there talking about everything and nothing—baseball stats, terrible teachers, how much they both hated being the oldest sibling. Jordan's hair eventually gave up and stayed messy. The goldfish kept swimming its circles, no longer lonely.

When Tyler finally stood up to leave, he paused. "Hey, you wanna come to practice tomorrow? Coach says we need more outfielders."

Jordan's heart did this weird flip thing that had nothing to do with his hair. "Yeah. Definitely."

He found Chloe inside, still doing palm readings for anyone who'd sit still long enough.

"You were right," Jordan admitted. "About the unexpected connection."

She winked. "I'm always right. Also, your hair looks better messy. Just saying."

Jordan didn't even smooth it down.