Undead Hearts & Unread Texts

Maya's iphone buzzed for the third time in two minutes. Another notification from the group chat she'd been ghosting since Friday.

'u coming to jake's party??'

She stared at the screen. Three weeks ago, she would've already been there, sophomore year's social butterfly, first one on the dance floor. Now she barely left her room except to walk Buster, her golden retriever who'd been her dad's before everything changed.

Buster nudged her hand with his wet nose. His tail thumped against the bedframe like a metronome counting down the seconds until she had to decide.

"What do you think, boy?" Maya whispered. "Should I go?"

Buster woofed softly, then flopped onto her feet like a weighted blanket.

The truth was, Maya felt like a zombie version of herself — going through the motions at school, fake-smiling at lunch, answering "I'm fine" automatically when anyone asked how she was holding up after her mom moved out. Her phone showed her old life in photos: homecoming, friends, makeup tutorials she'd filmed with that infectious laugh she hadn't heard from herself in months.

Her phone lit up again. 'pls come. it's not the same without u'

Maya's fingers hovered over the keyboard. What would she even say? That she'd forgotten how to be the person everyone expected? That parties felt like performing in a play where everyone knew their lines but her?

Buster stood up suddenly, ears perked, and trotted to the door. He looked back at her like, *well? Are you coming?*

"Fine," Maya said. "Fine."

She threw on her favorite oversized hoodie — the one that still smelled faintly of her mom's perfume — and grabbed Buster's leash. They'd do the long route tonight, past Jake's house. Just to see. Just to check if she still remembered how to want things.

As they turned the corner, bass thudded from the house down the street. Maya's heart did that fluttery thing it used to do before something good happened. Buster pulled forward, tail wagging, like he knew exactly where the party was.

Her iphone buzzed one more time.

'we saved u pizza'

Maya stood there for a moment, zombie heart beating a little faster, wondering if maybe — just maybe — coming back to life was something you had to choose, over and over, every single day.

She took a breath. Unhooked Buster's leash. And walked toward the door.