Friday Night Resurrection

Marcus pulled his dad's old fedora down low, trying to look mysterious for the party. The hat smelled like mothballs and questionable decisions, but desperate times called for desperate accessories.

"You look like you're about to sell us insurance," Jasmine deadpanned from where she leaned against the lockers. She was popping gummy vitamins like they were actual candy, which she insisted made her immune to bad vibes and mediocre texts. "That's the vibe."

Marcus adjusted the brim. "It's called having aesthetic."

"It's called trying too hard."

Lightning cracked across the sky outside—the weather app had promised clear skies, but apparently the universe had other plans. The hallways were emptying out as everyone headed to Tyler's party, the social event that would determine everyone's ranking for the next three weeks.

"You going?" Jasmine asked, already knowing the answer.

"I was thinking about it."

"You say that every Friday. Meanwhile, you're home watching documentaries about zombie apocalypses and pretending you're too deep for high school drama."

Marcus shrugged. "At least I'm self-aware about my avoidance issues."

"Progress, I guess." She tossed him a gummy vitamin. "Here. For courage."

He caught it reflexively. "I'm pretty sure this is just vitamin C."

"It's vitamin confidence. Take it."

The truth was, Marcus was tired of watching from the sidelines. Tired of being the zombie everyone forgot was there—present but not really participating, moving through the motions of teenage life without actually living it.

"Let's go," he said, surprising himself.

Jasmine's eyebrows shot up. "For real?"

"Yeah. Worst case, I stand in a corner for an hour and leave. Best case, I actually have something to talk about on Monday besides that documentary about fungal infections in ants."

She grinned. "Now that's what I'm talking about. But lose the hat."

Marcus pulled off the fedora and tucked it under his arm. He felt lighter already. The lightning flashed again, closer this time, illuminating the rain that had just started to fall.

"After you," he said.

"Nah," Jasmine bumped his shoulder with hers. "We're doing this together."

And for the first time in a long time, Marcus felt like he might actually be ready to stop watching life from the sidelines and start being part of it—even if it meant risking looking awkward, even if it meant stepping into the chaos without a perfect plan. The zombies in his favorite shows would be proud. He was finally coming back to life.