The Goldfish Who Knew Everything

Maya stood in front of the bathroom mirror, smoothing her skirt for the third time. The **papaya**-scented lip gloss her mom had bought her was supposed to be 'subtle,' but she felt like she was wearing a tropical punch smoothie on her face.

"You look fine," Chloe said, rolling her eyes as she leaned against the doorframe. "You're not going to the prom. It's just Jordan's party."

"Exactly." Maya's stomach did that thing it always did before social events — like a **goldfish** trying to escape its bowl. "Everyone's going to be there. What if someone asks why I transferred?"

"Tell them you wanted a fresh start," Chloe said. "Or tell them your old school was basic. Which, honestly, true."

Maya laughed despite herself. Chloe had been her first real friend at Northwood High, the person who'd sat with her at lunch that first day when Maya had felt like everyone was watching her like she was some kind of alien specimen.

At the party, Maya ended up on a balcony with a guy named Liam, who was wearing a hoodie that smelled like vanilla and something woodsy. They talked about everything and nothing — school, music, the weird pressure to have everything figured out at sixteen.

"I feel like we're all supposed to be these mysterious creatures," Liam said, gesturing vaguely at the party inside. "Like, unreadable. A total **sphinx** act. But honestly? I'm just trying to survive AP Chem and maybe ask this girl to homecoming without my voice cracking."

Maya smiled. "Same. I'm not some deep, tortured soul. I just want to get through junior year without embarrassing myself."

"Then you're already ahead of most people." His phone buzzed. He checked it and groaned. "My mom. She thinks if I don't take my **vitamin D supplements, I'll get scurvy or something. She literally just texted me 'Did you take your vitamins?' with three exclamation points."

"Moms, right?"

"Yeah. She's been like this since my dad left. Overprotective, I guess. Not that I'm complaining about being loved, but..."

"It's a lot."

"Exactly."

Maya felt something shift between them — this sudden recognition, like finding someone else who got it. Who understood that growing up was messy and complicated and you didn't have to have it all together.

Later, Chloe found her and pulled her into a hug. "I saw you with Liam. You were out there for, like, an hour."

"So?"

"So?" Chloe grinned. "He's been **spy**ing on your Instagram since you transferred. Not even subtle about it."

"What? No way."

"Way. Ask him about his dog. He's dying to talk about it."

Maya glanced across the room at Liam, who caught her eye and smiled. And for the first time since moving to Northwood, she didn't feel like an outsider looking in. She felt like someone who belonged — papaya lip gloss and all.