Goldfish & Zombie Mode

Maya stood in the corner of Jake's basement, clutching a red Solo cup like it was a lifeline. The party was exactly three minutes old, and she was already regretting everything. Why had she thought tonight would be different? Why had she believed that one stupid vitamin C supplement from her mom's purse would somehow transform her into someone who could breeze through social situations like the popular kids?

She was deep in zombie mode at this point—eyes glazed, nodding along to whatever people said, purely operating on autopilot. Her goldfish, Walter, had more personality than she was displaying right now. At least Walter didn't care what anyone thought of him.

"Hey, you gonna finish those?"

Maya blinked. A guy with messy dark hair and a Def Leppard shirt was pointing at her goldfish crackers. She'd been crushing them into oblivion without realizing.

"Oh. Sorry."

"No worries, I do that too." He grinned, grabbing a handful. "I'm Liam. Jake's cousin."

"Maya."

"You look like you're calculating your escape route."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Only because I'm doing the same thing." He gestured toward the basement door. "Wanna bail? There's a taco truck two blocks over."

Maya hesitated. Then she thought about Walter swimming happily in his bowl, not giving a crap about being a goldfish in a world full of sharks. And she thought about how she'd spent the entire week psyching herself up for this party, only to spend it feeling like a zombie who'd forgotten how to human.

"Yeah," she said, setting down her cup. "Let's bounce."

As they slipped out the basement door, Maya's phone buzzed. Her mom: Did the vitamin help? lol

Maya smiled and typed back: Actually, I think I found something better.

Outside, the air was cool and the streetlights buzzed. She wasn't sure if this was the start of something or just a moment, but for the first time all night, she felt actually awake.