Poolside Zombies and Papaya Dreams

Maya's palms were sweating so much she thought they might actually drip onto the pool party invitation clutched in her hand. The biggest social event of sophomore year, at Jessica Carlson's house, and she was debating whether to show up fashionably late or not at all.

"You're going," Chloe said, snatching the invite. "And you're eating this papaya she bought. It's exotic. It's sophisticated. It's you-not-being-lame-for-once."

"Papaya? Really?" Maya wrinkled her nose. "What if I hate it?"

"Then you fake it, like a normal person. That's what the rest of us do." Chloe flipped her hair. "Also, Jake is gonna be there."

That stopped Maya's protests. Jake, with the stupid perfect hair and the way he made everyone feel like the main character of their own movie.

The pool party was exactly the kind of overwhelming experience that made Maya feel like a zombie—limbs heavy, brain foggy, watching everyone else live while she trudged through the motions. Girls in swimsuits that cost more than her entire wardrobe. Guys with chests puffed out like they were auditioning for some invisible documentary about high school hierarchies.

Then she saw him. Jake. Standing by the deep end, looking unfairly good even in swim trunks.

"Hey, Maya," he said, like she wasn't invisible. "Wanna try this?"

He held out a slice of papaya. Of course the sophisticated fruit was a thing here too.

"Sure," she said, because apparently her mouth had decided to commit treason without her brain's permission. The papaya was sweet but weird, kind of musky and unexpected.

"It's an acquired taste," Jake grinned. "Like most things worth having."

Then Miller—the bull who'd made freshman year miserable—shoved past Jake, splashing water everywhere. "Watch it, losers."

Maya's heart hammered. She could just shrink away, dissolve into the background like always.

Instead, she cleared her throat. "Hey Miller. Your trunks are on backwards. Not sure if you know."

The entire pool area went silent. Miller looked down. They weren't, but everyone was looking, and suddenly he was the one exposed.

"Whatever," he muttered, moving away.

Jake high-fived her. "Nice. That was legendary."

Later, floating in the pool under the string lights, Maya realized something. The papaya hadn't been that bad. The bull hadn't been that scary. And maybe—just maybe—she wasn't as much of a zombie as she'd thought.

"You okay?" Chloe asked from the pool edge.

Maya looked at Jake laughing across the pool, at the palm trees swaying in the breeze, at the way her hands weren't sweating anymore.

"Yeah," she said. "Actually, I think I am."