Papaya Conditioner and Zombie Prom

Maya's hair had declared war. Three hours before homecoming, and she was staring at her reflection—frizzy, defiant curls that refused to be tamed by the $45 straightener her mom had bought specifically for tonight. She'd spent all week listening to the girls in AP Calc talk about how they were getting their hair professionally blown out, how Jackson, who she'd been lowkey flirting with since September, liked girls with sleek straight hair.

Her phone buzzed. Jade: "u coming??? we need pregame photos for the squad's post"

Maya groaned. Her best friend since seventh grade, currently obsessed with TikTok fame and making sure every moment wasInstagram-perfect. Maya reached for her mom's fancy papaya conditioner—the expensive stuff from that salon downtown. She'd read online that papaya enzymes could tame frizz. Worth a shot.

Twenty minutes later, she was walking to Jade's house with her hair in a papaya-soaked towel wrap, feeling like a complete idiot. The air smelled like someone was making fruit salad on her head.

"What is that smell?" Jade's door opened before Maya could knock. Jade stood there in a navy blue dress that was definitely not dress code, phone in hand, already livestreaming. "And why do you look like a zombie?"

"Long story." Maya pushed past her. "Can I use your shower? The papaya situation is not going according to plan."

Jade followed her into the bathroom, still recording. "You know Jackson's going with Hailey, right?"

Maya froze. "What?"

"They made it official yesterday." Jade's voice softened. "Why do you think I've been blowing up your phone?"

The papaya conditioner dripped down Maya's forehead. Suddenly she didn't care about Jackson, or homecoming, or whether her hair was straight or curly or rainbow-colored. She turned to look at her friend—who she'd been avoiding all week, too stressed about a boy who wasn't even worth it.

"You're a good friend," Maya said, wiping papaya from her forehead. "Even though you're literally still recording this."

Jade finally lowered the phone. "I mean, this content is gold though. You with fruit in your hair, looking like a papaya zombie."

Maya caught her reflection in the mirror—frizzy hair, fruit on her face, zero makeup, but smiling. "You know what? Screw homecoming. Let's order pizza and binge that new zombie show everyone's talking about."

"Deal." Jade grinned. "But you're still washing that papaya out first."