The Zombie Cure

Maya had been operating on approximately three hours of sleep since finals week began, which basically made her a **zombie** in human clothing. Her Converse dragged against the hallway linoleum as she made her way to her locker, somehow still managing to navigate through the morning chaos despite her brain feeling like it had been put through a blender.

"You look dead," observed Leo, her lab partner since freshman year, leaning against the locker next to hers.

"Thanks, Leo. Really needed that assessment today." Maya fumbled with her combination lock. "AP Bio is trying to murder me, and I'm pretty sure I'm failing Calculus. Also, I haven't slept since what feels like last semester."

"You need this." Leo pressed something into her hand.

A bright orange bottle. **Vitamin** D supplements.

"What?"

"My mom's a holistic nutritionist now," he said with that lopsided grin that made half the soccer team hate him. "She swears vitamin D fixes literally everything. Bad mood? Vitamin D. Failed test? Vitamin D. Existential crisis about college applications? Definitely vitamin D."

Maya couldn't help it—she laughed. "You're weird, Leo."

"Weird is better than zombie-like," he countered, and then his gaze dropped to her hand.

Their fingers brushed as he reached for the vitamin bottle he'd given her, and suddenly her entire body decided to malfunction. Her **palm** was sweating. Why was her palm sweating? It's not like this was the first time they'd touched—hello, they'd dissected a fetal pig together last month—but this felt different. Or maybe she was just delirious from lack of sleep.

"The spring fair is tonight," Leo said, unusually casual. "If you're not, like, completely dead from studying."

"Maya!" Her best friend Rio appeared from nowhere, practically vibrating. "You will NOT believe what Kyle posted on his story. We need to discuss immediately."

"I'll think about it," Maya told Leo, tucking the vitamin bottle into her pocket.

"Take the vitamins, zombie," he called over his shoulder as he walked away.

Rio grabbed her arm. "Did you and Leo just have a moment?"

"What? No!"

"You're blushing."

"I'm sleep-deprived and delirious," Maya protested, but her fingers curled around the vitamin bottle in her pocket. "Also, Kyle's story can wait. I need to tell you something actually important."

"What?" Rio's eyes went wide.

"I think..." Maya paused, something warm and unfamiliar blooming in her chest. "I think I might actually be waking up."