Spinach Zombie Apocalypse

Maya felt like a zombie. Not the cool, dramatic kind from TV—just the exhausted, barely-functioning variety that resulted from staying up until 3 AM finishing her AP History paper while doom-scrolling TikTok. Her phone screen glowed with the notification: **RYAN SENT YOU A SNAP**.

Her heart did that embarrassing fluttery thing. Ryan, with his stupid perfect hair and his leather jacket and the way he actually laughed at her terrible jokes in third period.

"You need more than coffee," her mom had said that morning, pressing a rainbow-colored bottle into her hand. "These vitamins will help. Brain health, energy, all that stuff."

Maya had rolled her eyes but slipped them into her backpack anyway. Because her mom was right—she was running on fumes and nervous energy.

Now she sat at her usual lunch table, picking at her tray. The cafeteria food was, as always, tragic. But today she'd actually grabbed something green-ish. Spinach. Because apparently she was turning into someone who made responsible life choices now. Or maybe she just wanted Ryan to think she had her life together.

He walked past her table, doing that thing where he was kind of looking in her direction but also kind of not. Maya's friends burst into giggles.

"He's totally checking you out!"

"Shut up," Maya whispered, but her face was on fire.

Then Ryan actually turned around. "Hey, Maya."

"Hey!" she said, possibly too loud. Definitely too eager. "What's up?"

"Not much. You going to Jake's party Friday?"

"Yeah! I mean, probably. Maybe."

What was WRONG with her? She was a fully functional human being, not a zombie apocalypse survivor. She could form coherent sentences.

"Cool." He smiled. "See you there."

"Wait!" she called after him, then immediately regretted it. Ryan turned back, one eyebrow raised.

"I just—" Maya gestured helplessly at her tray. "The spinach. It's actually pretty good."

What.

Ryan's other eyebrow went up. "The spinach?"

"Yeah. You should try it. It's got... vitamins." She wanted to die. Actually die. Right here at lunch table C.

But then Ryan laughed. Not the mean laugh. The real one.

"Okay then. Spinach. Noted."

He walked away, and Maya's friends absolutely lost it.

"You just recommended spinach to Ryan Miller," said Chloe, between wheezes. "This is the best day of my life."

Maya slumped over her tray, face burning. But when she checked her phone five minutes later, there it was:

**RYAN: "What time should I pick you up for Jake's?"**

Sometimes, she decided, being a zombie wasn't the worst thing in the world. Especially when you accidentally charmed your way into a date while discussing cafeteria vegetables. She took one of her mom's vitamins and swallowed it without water.

She'd need the energy.