What Floats

The pool water was still—too still for July. Elena sat at the edge, legs dangling in the chlorinated calm, watching her hair fan out like dark seaweed against the blue tiles. The interview at McAllister & Associates had gone poorly. Not the questions; those were fine. It was seeing Sarah.

Sarah, who'd mentored her through her first year as an analyst. Sarah, who'd called her at 2 AM when Elena's mother died. Sarah, who'd forwarded Elena's confidential client notes to management and taken credit for the merger strategy.

Sarah, who now sat three lounge chairs away, pretending not to see her.

"You cut it," Sarah said suddenly, not looking over. "Your hair."

Elena touched the jagged ends. "Last week. It was getting long."

"It suits you."

Elena laughed bitterly. "Thanks. How's Tom?"

"We split. Six months ago." Sarah turned finally. Her eyes looked older than thirty. "He took the goldfish."

"The one we won at that company carnival?"

"Yeah. I think it hated me anyway. It only lived three years."

"That's actually pretty good for a carnival goldfish."

"I know. That's the worst part." Sarah stood up, walked to the pool's edge. "I'm sorry, Elena. About the client notes. About everything. I've started saying it in therapy, but saying it to you is different."

The water rippled as Sarah stepped in, fully clothed.

"What are you—"

"I don't know." Sarah's dress bloomed around her like a dark flower. "But I owed you something more than words."

Elena watched her former friend sink to the bottom, watched the bubbles rise, then kicked off her sandals and dove in. The water shocked her lungs. She grabbed Sarah's arms, hauled her up, both of them gasping, dripping, clinging to the edge like survivors.

"I got the job," Elena said finally. "They offered it to me."

Sarah blinked water from her eyes. "Good."

"I turned it down."

They sat there as the sun went down, two waterlogged women who used to be friends, while somewhere in an apartment across the city, a goldfish swam in circles, forgetting everything every three seconds.