Palm Reading at the Zombie Apocalypse

Maya's summer was turning into a total disaster before it even began. Working at her uncle's beachside papaya smoothie shack was supposed to be chill vibes and extra cash, not whatever this was.

"You're working Saturday night," Uncle Jay said, tightening a frayed cable behind the counter with way too much enthusiasm. "Big crowd expected."

Saturday. The night of Tyler's party. The night she'd finally work up the courage to actually talk to him instead of just liking his Instagram stories from her bedroom like a complete coward.

"Uncle Jay, please—" she started, but he was already off to help some customers.

By 7 PM, the beach was packed. Maya was operating on full zombie mode, her brain completely fried from blending tropical fruit while literally everyone she knew was living their best lives without her. Her best friend Kai had texted her three times: "where r u??" "tyler's asking abt u" "this party is dead without u"

She was stirring papaya chunks into pure liquid embarrassment when something—SOMEONE—appeared at the counter. Tyler. Of course. The universe had a terrible sense of humor.

"Hey," he said, scratching the back of his neck. All tanned and smiley and completely unfair. "Heard you were working. Figured I'd stop by."

Maya's heart did something genuinely concerning. She accidentally squeezed the cup she was holding.

"I'll bear with your uncle's smoothie-making skills," he continued, nodding toward where Uncle Jay was aggressively demonstrating his signature "papaya tornado" blend technique. "He seems... intense."

Then Tyler did something unexpected. He held out his hand, palm up. "My mom's into palm reading. She says you can tell a lot about a person from their hands."

Maya stared at it like it was an alien artifact. "You... want me to read your palm?"

"Why not?" He grinned. "Tell me my future, Maya."

Something shifted. The anxiety that usually lived in her chest like a permanent resident actually faded. She traced a line on his palm, pretending to know what she was doing. "This means you're going to have a really good summer."

"Yeah?" Their eyes met. "Any chance it involves hanging out with someone cool?"

"Depends," she said, feeling powerful for the first time all night. "You think papaya smoothies are cool?"

Tyler laughed, and it was the best sound she'd heard in months. "I think they can be."

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Kai: "well??"

She didn't answer. Some things were worth being completely present for.