Running On Three Hours of Sleep

Maya stumbled into third period AP Bio feeling like actual death. She'd spent half the night doom-scrolling through Addison's perfect Instagram stories—beach trips, Starbucks dates with the popular crowd, that effortless aesthetic Maya could never quite pull off.

"You look like a zombie," whispered Jake, sliding onto the stool beside her. His eyes were tired too, dark circles that matched hers. They'd been competing for valedictorian since freshman year, but today something about his smile seemed differentsofter, maybe.

"Rough night," Maya managed, opening her notebook to a blank page. "My neighbor's cat wouldn't stop screaming outside my window."

"That sucks." Jake fiddled with his pen. "Hey, are you going to the track meet later? I saw you running at practice yesterday. You're getting fast."

Maya felt her face heat up. He'd noticed? The same Jake Chen who'd barely acknowledged her existence for three years?

"Maybe," she said, trying to sound chill. "I don't know if I'm ready to compete yet."

"You should come." Their eyes met, and for a second, the noise of the classroom—the whispers, the shuffling papers, the teacher beginning her lecture—faded into background static. "I could use someone to talk to. Addison and I kind of... it's complicated."

Maya's stomach did this weird flip thing. Addison—perfect, popular Addison—had broken up with Jake? The universe was playing tricks.

"I'll be there," she heard herself say. And for the first time in forever, the zombie-like exhaustion didn't feel so heavy anymore. The cat had been annoying, sure, but sometimes the most unexpected chaos led you exactly where you needed to go.