Running from Zombie Mode

I'd been running on three hours of sleep and pure adrenaline since finals week began. My messy bun was barely holding on — frizzy strands escaping everywhere like I'd stuck my finger in an electrical socket. Not exactly the vibe I wanted when Luke showed up.

"You look like you're in zombie mode," Maya said, sliding into the booth across from me at Tropical Smoothie. She poked at her papaya smoothie with the thick straw. "That test fried your brain, huh?"

"I'm literally a zombie," I groaned, resting my forehead on the cool table. "If I don't get an A on Mr. Henderson's chem final, my mom is going to lose it. And I still haven't asked Luke to Friday's padel tournament."

Maya choked on her smoothie. "You still haven't asked him? Courtney's been flirting with him all week. If you don't make a move, you're gonna be watching them play mixed doubles from the sidelines. Again."

I groaned again. "I know, okay? But every time I try, my brain just — short-circuits. What if he says no? What if it's weird? What if I'm terrible at padel and he thinks I'm a loser?"

"Or what if he says yes because he's been waiting for you to ask him for like two months?" Maya countered, giving me that look. "You're literally the best player on our team. He's not going to care if you mess up a serve."

I sat up and finally looked in the compact mirror I kept in my bag. My hair was definitely a disaster — but honestly, so what? Luke had seen me way worse. Like that time I cried in the hallway after getting rejected from student council, or when I tripped over my own feet during gym class and faceplanted in front of everyone.

The bell rang. We had five minutes to get to the gym for padel practice.

I grabbed my bag and started running toward the door, heart pounding. Luke was already there, leaning against the wall near the courts, messing with his phone. He looked up when I approached and his eyes literally lit up.

"Hey! You're early," he said, smiling like he was genuinely happy to see me. Even with my zombie brain and frizzy hair, he was looking at me like I was something special.

"Luke, wait," I blurted out before I could overthink it. "Do you want to partner up for the tournament? Like, together-together?"

He straightened up, that smile widening into something real. "I was literally going to ask you the same thing. I've been waiting all week."

Sometimes the zombie moments lead to the most alive ones.