The Goldfish Protocol

My hair was supposed to be cherry red. Not pink. Not salmon. Cherry.

Instead, I looked like a slice of radioactive ham. "A bold choice," my mom had said, backing away slowly.

Now I'm hiding in the bathroom during lunch because Jessica saw me and immediately texted the group chat. I can already imagine the reactions. My phone's basically vibrating off the sink.

That's when I hear the door creak. Marcus walks in, holding a plastic bag sloshing with water. A goldfish — a literal, orange goldfish — is swimming around inside like it owns the place.

"What are you doing?" I ask, forgetting to be self-conscious for a second.

"Emergency," he says, like that explains everything. "Tyler's gonna flush him if he finds him. They're not allowed in the dorms."

"You're kidnapping a goldfish?"

"I'm liberating him," Marcus corrects. "His name's Gerald."

I should go back to hiding. But something about the way he's holding that bag — like he's carrying a bomb or a secret — makes me stay. So I help. We sneak Gerald into the science lab fish tank, and Marcus somehow talks me into skipping pre-calc to sit with him by the tank.

"Your hair's sick," he says, not looking at me but at Gerald, who's currently nosing at the tank wall.

"It's pink," I say.

"It's brave. I wish I could do something brave like that."

We sit there while Gerald explores his new territory, and Marcus tells me about how he's been at this school for three months and still feels like he's swimming in a bowl, hitting glass, going in circles. I tell him about my hair disaster and how maybe that's what I needed — to do something that wasn't perfect.

When the bell rings, Marcus stands up. "Hey, you want to come back tomorrow? Gerald gets lonely."

"Yeah," I say. "I think Gerald needs a friend."

Walking to class, my phone buzzes. Someone posted a photo of me with the caption "what even IS that hair" but I don't care. I've got science lab fifth period, a goldfish to check on, and a maybe-friend who thinks I'm brave.

My hair is still definitely pink. But somehow, it feels right.