Vitamins, Zombies, and Bear Hugs

Maya slouched at the lunch table, feeling like a certified zombie after pulling an all-nighter to finish her AP Euro essay. Her brain was basically running on fumes and caffeine.

"Dude, you look dead," said Jace, sliding into the seat across from her. "Rough night?"

"You know it." Maya pulled the giant vitamin her mom insisted she take daily out of her backpack. The thing was the size of a small plateau and tasted like chalk mixed with despair. "My mom's new wellness phase is literally killing me."

Jace laughed, and Maya's stomach did that annoying little flip it always did around him lately. She'd been crushing on him since homecoming, when they'd spent the whole night making fun of the punch bowl together. But she'd been too chicken to make a move, paralyzed by that overthinking spiral where every possible outcome ended in catastrophe.

"So," Jace said, leaning in slightly, "I was gonna ask if you wanted to come to my place Friday. We're doing a zombie movie marathon, and my friend Chloe said she might come too..."

Maya's heart kicked into overdrive. This was it—the moment. But before she could respond, her phone buzzed with a text from her mom: VITAMIN CHECK. Did you take it???

She groaned. "Hold up, my mom is literally blowing up my phone about this vitamin. I swear she thinks it's magic or something."

Jace's face fell, just a fraction. "Oh. You should probably..."

"No, it's fine!" Maya said, a little too loudly. "Yeah, Friday sounds awesome. I'm totally in."

"For real?" Jace's smile returned, brighter this time. "That's sick. It'll be chill, I promise. No pressure or anything."

"I'll be there," Maya said, and this time she meant it. The zombie fog in her brain lifted, replaced by something lighter. Maybe it was the vitamins. Maybe it was Jace. Maybe it was just that she'd finally stopped overthinking and let herself say yes to something.

She watched him walk away to join his friends, already pulling out his phone. And for the first time in forever, Maya didn't feel like she was sleepwalking through her life. She felt wide awake, like something good was finally about to happen. Even if she did still have to choke down that disgusting vitamin every morning.