Green Hair & Graveyard Sprints

Maya stared at her reflection, fingers tangling in the now-shocking green strands. Her mom was gonna lose it. Like, actually lose her mind.

"You look sick," Jazz said, popping gum beside her. "Sick in the best way. Like, aesthetic goals."

Maya swallowed the panic rising in her throat. This was supposed to be about reinvention. Freshman year was supposed to be different—bold, confident Maya, not the girl who spent three years hiding behind a middle part and safe decisions. Green hair had felt like freedom in the bathroom stall with the DIY dye kit. Now it just felt like a mistake.

"I look like a zombie," Maya muttered. "A graveyard-shift zombie."

"A cute zombie," Jazz corrected. "Besides, we're gonna be zombies anyway for the flash mob. You're just getting a head start."

Right. The flash mob. The entire reason Maya had agreed to this spontaneous transformation in the first place. In forty-five minutes, she and Jazz were supposed to lead the school's first-ever zombie run through the quad—a performance piece protest against the administration canceling the fall dance. Students would "rise" and chase the principal, all theatrical, no actual biting involved.

Maya's phone buzzed. Group chat blowing up. *where r u? we start in 30*

"We're running," Maya said, grabbing her backpack. "Literally running."

"Already?" Jazz laughed, but Maya was already out the bathroom door.

They sprinted through the hallways, Maya's new green hair streaming behind her like some kind of supernatural banner. Jazz was right—she did look sick. But maybe that was the point. Maybe being a little monstrous, a little unapologetic, was exactly what she needed.

When they burst onto the quad, panting, the crowd went quiet. Then someone started clapping. Another person joined in. Within seconds, half the school was cheering.

Jazz nudged her. "Told you. Sick."

Maya's best friend grinned, and for the first time in forever, Maya didn't hide behind her hair. She flipped it—green, bold, impossible to ignore—and nodded toward the starting line.

"Let's raise some zombies."