Poolside Zombies and Papaya Skies

Maya's hair refused to cooperate, frizzing like she'd stuck her finger in an electrical socket. She tugged at her curls in the bathroom mirror, hyperventilating. Tyler's pool party started in ten minutes, and she looked like a potato.

"You look fine," her little brother yelled from downstairs, probably playing zombie shooter games again. He'd been on a Fortnite bender all week, walking around the house like one of the undead.

Maya's cat, Luna, wound through her legs, purring like a motorboat. At least someone thought she was acceptable.

Outside, the pool water glittered blue-green in the twilight. Maya spotted the popular crowd immediately—Tyler with his perfect smile, Chloe and Brynn in matching bikinis that probably cost more than Maya's entire wardrobe. She hesitated by the fence, clutching her papaya lotion like a shield. Her mom had bought it from some health store, insisting it smelled like paradise. To Maya, it smelled like desperate tropical vacation.

"Hey!" Tyler waved from the pool edge. Water droplets glistened on his chest. "You made it!"

Maya's stomach did that flippy thing it always did around him. She shuffled forward in her sandals, trying to look casual and failing.

Chloe flipped her hair dramatically. "Omg, is that papaya lotion? I've been looking everywhere for that stuff!" She grabbed Maya's arm, studying the bottle like it held the secrets to the universe.

Wait, what?

"This brand is literally impossible to find," Chloe continued. "My cousin works at this boutique in LA and she couldn't even get it. You have to tell me where you got it."

"Um... my mom bought it online?" Maya managed.

Chloe's eyes widened. "No way. That's so iconic."

Suddenly, the screen door slid open. Maya's brother stumbled out, eyes glazed, wearing his zombie costume from Halloween because apparently regular clothes were too mainstream.

"Is that..." Tyler started laughing. "Is your brother a zombie?"

"He's been playing Call of Duty for 72 hours," Maya said, then everyone was laughing, including her.

She spent the rest of the night poolside, discussing skincare routines and papaya-scented everything with Chloe and Brynt. Her hair frizzed even more in the humidity, her brother lurched around like the undead asking if anyone wanted to play, and Maya realized she'd been terrified of absolutely nothing.

Sometimes the scariest monsters were just the ones inside your head.