The Zombie in the Snapback

Marcus stood by the bathroom door at Jessica's house party, feeling like a literal **zombie**. Finals week had turned his brain into mush, and now he was socially awkward on top of exhausted. The worst part? He was wearing his dad's ridiculous neon green snapback **hat** as part of some stupid bet he'd lost to his younger sister.

"Nice hat, zombie boy," someone called out. Great. Now he had a nickname.

He wandered toward the kitchen hoping to find something that wasn't suspiciously bright red punch. Instead, he found himself face-to-face with Tyler's older brother, who was bragging about how he'd totally faced down a **bull** at the county fair last summer. Marcus rolled his eyes so hard it hurt. The guy was full of it, and everyone knew it.

"Dude, try this fruit salad thing," Tyler said, shoving a bowl at him. "It's actually fire."

Marcus stared at the suspicious orange chunks. "What is it?"

"**Papaya** with lime and chili powder. Trust me."

Marcus took a bite and his eyes widened. Actually? Not terrible. Kind of amazing, even. He was mid-compliment when something crashed through the back screen door.

A **dog**. A massive, muddy, very happy golden retriever that had clearly escaped someone's backyard. It bolted straight toward Marcus, who may have shrieked slightly, sending papaya everywhere. The dog skidded to a halt, tongue out, tail wagging like it just won the lottery.

"ROCKY!" someone screamed from outside. "Oh my god, I am SO sorry!"

But Marcus was laughing. Like, actually laughing. For the first time all night, he wasn't overthinking everything. The hat was crooked, he had papaya on his shirt, and there was a dog sitting on his foot like they were best friends.

"Nice hat," said a girl from his English class, grinning. "And nice rescue skills, zombie boy."

Marcus smiled back, finally feeling like he might actually survive high school after all.