The Girl Who Quit Being a Zombie

Maya stared at her reflection, running fingers through choppy, DIY-banged hair she'd cut at 2am during a spiral of precalc-induced existential dread. It looked uneven, but at least it looked like *hers*.

"You look like you died three weeks ago," said Zara, sliding into the cafeteria seat beside her. "No offense."

"None taken," Maya mumbled. She felt like it—AP Euro was literally draining her soul. Her phone buzzed. Her mom, again: *Did you take your vitamin D?? You've been looking pale.*

"Your mom still on that whole 'supplements will fix your mental health' kick?" Zara raised an eyebrow.

"She thinks gummy vitamins are gonna cure my senior year burnout." Maya pulled a bottle from her backpack, shook two multivitamins into her palm like they were prescription-strength hope. "Watch this become my personality. 'Maya, 18, fueled exclusively by supplements and spite.'"

They both laughed, but Maya's chest felt tight. That's what they all were, really— zombies walking through halls with half-graded essays and half-lived lives. Even Zara, who seemed bulletproof, had dark circles now.

"Okay, radical idea," Zara said suddenly. "What if we just... stopped?"

"Stopped what?"

"Being zombies. We're literally walking around like the undead. My hair hasn't seen natural light in months. I haven't eaten a vegetable since 2023. What if we did something that isn't school or college apps or academic decathlon?"

Maya looked at her uneven bangs. Then at her vitamins. Then at Zara, who was already pulling out her phone to look up thrift stores.

"I have gummy vitamins," Maya offered. "We can take them ironically as we commit treason against our GPAs."

"Deal."

They skipped seventh period. They thrifted clothes that made no sense. They ate actual food with colors that existed in nature. And for the first time in forever, Maya didn't feel like the living dead.

Her mom would ask about the vitamin D later. Her Euro teacher would ask about the missed class. But her hair finally felt like it belonged to someone who was actually, fully alive.