The Goldfish Summer

The cable went dead right as the baseball game entered the ninth inning. Perfect timing, honestly.

"You've got to be kidding me," Leo groaned, throwing the remote onto his bed. His parents had ditched him for the weekend—again—and now even the universe was conspiring to remind him that his social life had effectively flatlined.

Maya, his only real friend who hadn't bailed for the lake house extravaganza everyone else was posting about on Instagram, shrugged. "Or this is the universe telling us we need better hobbies."

"Like what? Staring at your dad's sad carnival goldfish?" Leo pointed to the bowl on Maya's nightstand. The fish—she'd named it Toast, for reasons that made zero sense—had been floating sideways for three days.

"He's not dead. He's meditating."

"Toast is definitely dead, Maya."

She didn't argue. Instead, she grabbed her keys. "Let's give him a proper burial."

Which was how they ended up at the community pool at midnight, the fence suspiciously unlatched, with a dead goldfish in a Tupperware container. The water stretched out dark and still before them, reflecting the moon like something from a dream Maya had definitely had about someone like Leo—not that she'd ever admit it.

"This is the most unhinged thing we've ever done," Leo whispered, but he was already taking off his shoes.

"Live a little, Parks." She kicked off her sandals.

They stood at the edge, toes curling over the concrete. Maya held out the container. "Any last words for Toast?"

Leo hesitated. Then: "He was a good listener."

Maya laughed—actually laughed—and the sound hit Leo in the chest like something physical. She poured the fish into the water, and they watched the tiny gold form catch moonlight before sinking into the deep.

"Baseball games are overrated anyway," Leo said quietly.

"Yeah," Maya agreed, her shoulder brushing his. "They really are."

Neither mentioned that they were standing closer than necessary. Neither mentioned that Toast had been an excuse all along. The cable was still dead when they got back to Leo's house, but for the first time all summer, neither of them cared.