The Party That Wasn't Supposed to Suck

Maya stood by the kitchen island, clutching her red Solo cup like it was a lifeline. The house party was already hitting maximum chaos, and she'd been here exactly twenty-three minutes. Someone's phone blasted a zombie apocalypse playlist—because apparently nothing says Friday night like undead moaning tracks.

"You look like you're about to bolt," said Leo, sliding beside her. He had that effortless cool thing down, unlike her, who felt like a deer in headlights every time someone asked what she was doing after graduation.

"I'm not bolting," Maya lied. "I'm strategically observing."

Leo laughed. "You mean hiding from Jason? Because he's been looking for you everywhere."

Her stomach did that annoying flip thing. Jason. The guy she'd been crushing on since sophomore year, who somehow still didn't know she existed despite sharing three classes together. "Why?"

"Something about his cat," Leo said, grabbing a bag of Takis from the counter. "Apparently it's sick or something, and he needed to ask you about that vet clinic where you volunteer—"

Maya set her cup down hard. Orange soda splashed over her fingers. "His CAT is sick?"

"Chill, drama queen. He's worried."

Before she could process this—her crush's cat was sick, and he remembered where she volunteered?—Jason materialized in the kitchen doorway, looking like he'd just survived a natural disaster. His hair was messy, his flannel was half-buttoned, and he held an empty water bowl.

"Maya!" he practically shouted over the music. "Thank god. Midnight won't drink anything, and I'm freaking out."

Midnight. The cat's name was Midnight. Of course it was.

"Is she throwing up?" Maya asked, automatically shifting into vet clinic mode. "When did she last eat?"

Jason's face softened. "You're literally my hero right now."

From the living room, someone yelled, "BULLSHIT!" at a FIFA game, followed by explosive laughter. Maya felt something shift—the way tension sometimes does, like how air feels different before a storm.

"Show me where she is," she said.

Jason's eyes widened. "You'd come over? Now?"

"Why not?" Maya shrugged, trying to seem casual while her pulse hammered against her ribs. "Parties are overrated anyway."

Leo, who was suddenly very interested in his Takis, gave her the tiniest thumbs-up.

As she followed Jason out into the cool night air, Maya realized she didn't feel like a zombie anymore. She felt like someone who knew things. Someone who could help.

Someone who might just be becoming exactly who she was supposed to be.