Salt Water Zombies

The bonfire crackled, sending sparks toward the starlit sky as Mia swiped at her phone, the blue light illuminating her exhausted face. She'd been running on caffeine and anxiety all week—summer finals, her crush on Jordan who'd barely looked at her since the spring formal disaster, and now this. Lena's end-of-year beach bash.

"You look like a zombie," Lena said, dropping onto the sand beside her and handing her a lukewarm soda. "Dead inside. Practically rotting."

"Thanks, bestie." Mia groaned. "That's the vibe."

"No, literally." Lena pointed her phone camera at Mia. "Check it."

The screen showed her with dark circles, messy waves, and that thousand-yard stare she'd been perfecting since sophomore year had started eating her alive. "Okay, valid."

Jordan was across the fire, laughing with his friends, the ocean behind him catching the moonlight. Of course he looked good. Of course he wasn't having an existential crisis at age sixteen.

Lena grabbed Mia's hand, flipping it over. "Let me read your palm. I learned from a TikTok."

"You're not serious."

"Dead serious." Lena traced the lines with her phone flashlight. "Okay, your life line is tiny. That means you're gonna die young."

Mia snatched her hand back, laughing. "You're the worst."

"I'm kidding! But your love line is... interesting." Lena wiggled her eyebrows. "You're gonna meet someone unexpected."

Jordan was already unexpected, in the worst way possible.

The ocean called to her—cool, dark, overwhelming. Mia stood up, dusting sand from her shorts, and walked toward the water. The Pacific was cold this time of year, shocking and real. She waded in, letting the waves lick her ankles, then her knees.

Salt water stung her lips. She ducked under, letting it wash away the zombie feeling, the pressure, the overthinking.

When she surfaced, Jordan was standing at the shoreline, watching her.

"You good?" he called.

"Better," she said. And for the first time all week, it wasn't a lie.