Goldfish & Zombies

Maya stared in the bathroom mirror, fingers tangling in the choppy layers she'd asked for but now hated. Her hair looked like a confused poodle. Why did she think getting bangs three days before Savannah's Halloween party was a good idea?

"You look fine," her little brother Leo called from the hallway. "But Finley needs food."

Finley. The goldfish. The reason she couldn't stay at the party too long—the stupid fish was apparently dying and needed special drops every four hours. Because that's exactly what her social life needed: being tethered to a fish.

"Mom said eat your spinach before you go," her dad yelled from the kitchen.

Maya rolled her eyes so hard it hurt. Spinach. At a party. She grabbed a handful, shoved it in, chewing furiously. Nothing said "ready to party" like green teeth.

The party was already popping when she arrived—too many people, too much noise, someone blasting that song everyone pretended wasn't annoying. Zombies everywhere. Why was everyone a zombie this year? She'd literally seen seven different Walkers.

She wedged herself into a corner, nursing a flat Coke, feeling like the most awkward person alive until—

"Nice costume."

Maya jumped. A fox stood next to her. Full mask, tail, everything. Orange and white and ridiculously well-made.

"I'm not a zombie," she said, then winced. Why was she like this?

The fox tilted its head. "I know. You're Maya from AP Bio. I sit behind you."

Maya squinted. "Kai?"

"The one and only." The fox mask lifted to reveal ridiculously warm brown eyes. "So, what's your deal? You've been hiding in the corner for twenty minutes."

"Goldfish emergency," she blurted, then wanted to die. "I mean, I have to go home soon to feed my brother's fish because it's apparently dying and—"

Kai laughed. Not mean laughing. Actual laughing.

"That's the most real thing anyone's said all night. Everyone's pretending they don't care about anything." He paused. "Wanted to leave too. This party's mid. Want to go help a goldfish not die?"

Maya found herself grinning. Spinach in her teeth, terrible hair, and now she was leaving a party early with the cute quiet kid to save a fish.

"Yeah," she said. "Yeah, I really do."