Three Seconds of Forever

Maya's **goldfish**, Banana, had zero concept of social anxiety. He just floated there in his tiny castle, orange and oblivious, while Maya hyperventilated in front of her mirror.

"You got this," she whispered to her reflection, though her **iphone** had other plans. Notifications were blowing up—triple texts from Chloe, an Instagram story she'd been tagged in, Snap streaks that were low-key dying. The digital universe was demanding her attention, and honestly? It was easier than real life.

Real life meant facing **Him**.

The **sphinx** of sophomore year. Ethan sat in the back of AP History, magnetic and mysterious, saying approximately three words per semester but somehow still being the most interesting person in the room. Maya had been crushing since September, which was approximately seven eternities in teenage time.

"Maya! You ready or what?" Chloe yelled from downstairs. "Party starts in twenty!"

Right. Chloe's birthday. The social event of the season. The place where Maya might finally talk to Ethan or might spend three hours holding a red cup while pretending to be deep in conversation with someone she'd met that second.

Her phone buzzed again. Another notification. Another anchor to the safe, digital world where everything was filtered and curated and nothing was awkward unless you chose to make it awkward.

Banana swam to the front of his bowl and stared at her with those bug-eyed fish lips.

"What?" Maya asked him. "You think I should go?"

Banana did a little flip.

"You're right. If I don't go, I'll spend the whole weekend overthinking NOT going. Plus, Chloe will literally kill me."

Maya grabbed her phone, ignored the thirty-seven notifications, and shoved it in her purse. Time to face the sphinx. Time to be someone who didn't need three filters to feel real.

She could always hide in the bathroom if things got weird. At least Banana would still be here, floating in his castle, being absolutely unbothered by existence.

Small wins, right?