The Dead Zone

Maya pulled her beanie down lower, practically swallowing her forehead. First party of sophomore year, and she'd already spent twenty minutes hiding in the bathroom.

"You good?" Her best friend Chloe leaned against the doorframe, looking annoyingly perfect in her crop top.

"Just needed a sec." Maya's phone was at 4%. "And my charging cable's in the car. I'm literally gonna die."

"Drama queen." Chloe grinned. "Come on. Tyler's doing zombie impressions again."

Tyler. The reason Maya had even come. He was by the couch, shuffled-walking and groaning like the undead, his baseball hat on backward and a gaggle of girls laughing. Maya's stomach did that terrible fluttery thing.

"Bro, I'm a ZOMBIE." Tyler flopped onto someone. "BRAAAAAINS."

Everyone laughed. Maya smiled, clutching her phone like a lifeline.

Then Tyler's eyes locked on hers. He zombie-shuffled over, and Maya's brain short-circuited.

"Hey." He leaned close. Too close. "You look dead too."

"What?"

"Like, exhausted." His eyes were actually concerned. "You okay?"

Maya's phone died. Black screen. She stared at it, mortified. "Yeah. Just... my phone."

"Oh snap." Tyler actually winced. "That's rough. Hey, I've got a portable charger in my car if you need—"

"I'M A ZOMBIE!" Someone tackled Tyler from behind.

He laughed, shoving them off. "Bro, I'm having a conversation!"

The moment shattered. Maya mumbled something about finding her friends and slipped away.

Outside, she fished her cable from the car. Inside, she found Tyler on the porch, alone, hat off now.

"Hey." He held up a portable charger. "Forreal. I wasn't just—"

"Thanks." She plugged in. "I'm Maya, by the way."

"Tyler." His smile was different now. Real. "So, you come to parties to pretend you're somewhere else?"

"Pretty much."

"Me too." He gestured to the chaos inside. "Sometimes it's easier to act like a zombie than actually be here."

Maya laughed, really laughed. "So we're both dead?"

"Nah." He nudged her arm. "We're just recharging."

Her phone buzzed. 2%. But somehow, she didn't care anymore.