Sphinx Cat Saturday

Maya felt like a zombie. Not the cool, dramatic kind from movies—the regular kind, the one that shows up to third period AP History on four hours of sleep and survives on vending machine snacks and hope.

"You look dead," Chloe said, which was funny coming from someone wearing foundation two shades too pale.

"Thanks, you really know how to make a girl feel seen."

They were sprawled on Chloe's bedroom floor, surrounded by chemistry notes and half-eaten takis. The only thing that could save them now was the sphinx cat.

Chloe's cat, Mr. Wiggles, was a sphinx—basically a naked alien cat that looked like it had seen some things. Maya loved him immediately when Chloe'd gotten him last month, mostly because he didn't judge anyone's outfit choices.

"My mom's tripping about my grades again," Chloe said, throwing her pen across the room. "She literally said I'm not living up to my potential. Imagine hearing that in your own house."

"Mine said I need to start networking for college," Maya groaned. "I'm fourteen. I don't even know what I'm doing this weekend, let alone what I'm doing in four years."

Mr. Wiggles wandered over and sat directly on Maya's chemistry homework, like he understood the assignment better than she did. His wrinkly skin felt warm, kind of like a heated blanket that judged your life choices.

"At least we have each other," Chloe said. "And Mr. Wiggles. Obviously."

"Obviously."

Maya's phone buzzed—11%. She scrambled for her charging cable, which had somehow migrated under Chloe's bed.

"Wait," Chloe said, grabbing her arm. "Don't go yet. Let's just... sit here for a minute. Before we have to go back to being perfect students with perfect GPAs and perfect futures."

Mr. Wiggles purred like a tiny motor, weird and wonderful and completely unbothered by the weight of their expectations.

"Yeah," Maya said, dropping the cable. "Yeah, okay."

For five minutes, they weren't zombies. They were just two girls and a sphinx cat, existing in a world that could wait until Monday.