The Zombie in the Corner

I felt like a zombie. Like, actually, technically, scientifically undead. Three hours of homework, two AP classes, and zero sleep would do that to a person. The bass thumped through Jordan's basement walls, but I just wanted to collapse somewhere and not exist for approximately 47 years.

"Maya! You came!"

I looked up to see my best friend since seventh grade, but something was off. Jordan was wearing this ridiculous fuzzy hat - like, why did anyone need a hat indoors? - and standing next to the new girl from soccer, Chloe. The Chloe who had somehow become everyone's favorite person in approximately two weeks.

"Hey," I mumbled, adjusting my oversized hoodie. I'd gotten taller over the summer but somehow felt smaller.

"You remember Chloe, right?" Jordan said, already turning back to her. "Maya's my best friend, she's super cool."

Chloe's smile didn't reach her eyes. "Oh yeah, totally. I've heard SO much about you."

The word "friend" hung in the air like something fragile, like a glass about to tip over.

I excused myself to get water, but really I just needed to escape. The kitchen was quieter. I leaned against the counter and closed my eyes, feeling like the biggest loser at a party where everyone else seemed to know the secret rules of being sixteen that I'd somehow missed.

"Rough night?"

I opened my eyes to see this guy I recognized from English - Marcus, something - holding a bottle of orange juice. He had this sticker on his laptop that said BEAR MORE THAN YOU CAN BARE, which was terrible but also somehow amazing.

"Just tired," I admitted. "My mom says I need more iron in my diet. She's literally obsessed with her vitamin collection now, like it's some magical solution to my entire existence."

Marcus laughed. "Mine too. Last week she bought me these gummy multivitamins shaped like dinosaurs. I'm sixteen, not six."

"Those actually sound kind of good though."

"They taste like artificial strawberry and regret," he said. "Want one? I brought the whole bottle."

I stared at him. "You brought a bottle of gummy vitamins to a party?"

"Never know when you'll need nutritional support during a social crisis."

Something cracked open in my chest, and I actually laughed. Like, really laughed.

"Maya?" Jordan appeared in the doorway, looking between us. "Everything okay?"

I looked at Marcus, who was already backing away with a little salute. Then I looked at Jordan, who was waiting for me to be the same person I'd always been, even though everything felt different now.

"Yeah," I said, surprised to find it was true. "Actually, everything's okay."

Jordan's shoulders relaxed. "Good. Because Chloe wanted to know if you wanted to help us choose movies for tomorrow? Like, a friend thing? The three of us?"

I heard what she wasn't saying - that she was trying, that things were changing but maybe they didn't have to break completely. That being sixteen meant feeling like a zombie sometimes, but also meant finding people who got it.

"Sure," I said. "But I'm picking the movie. And I get to critique your hat."

Jordan grinned, and for the first time all night, I didn't feel like the zombie in the corner anymore.