Zombie at the Deep End

The chlorine stung my eyes, but honestly? It was better than looking at Taylor and her squad dominating the shallow end like they owned the entire pool. It was the first pool party of summer, and I'd already spent two hours pretending to have fun while feeling like the actual walking dead.

"You look like a literal zombie," Maya whispered, sliding onto the ledge next to me. "Did you even sleep last night?"

"Three hours," I admitted, cracking a tiny smile. Maya was the only person who actually noticed things. "Studying for that bio final. My brain is mush."

She snorted. "We literally just finished sophomore year. Since when do you care about grades?"

"Since my mom started the 'college applications are basically tomorrow' speech. Three months early."

We sat there watching Taylor flip her wet hair like she was in a shampoo commercial. The **water** sparkled beneath the string lights, and for a second, it was almost nice. Almost.

Then something moved near the fence.

"What is that?" Maya pointed.

I squinted. A rust-colored shape slinking through the bushes along the backyard fence. Not a cat. Too big.

"Is that... a **fox**?" I whispered, suddenly wide awake.

It paused, watching the party like it was evaluating the situation. Which, mood. The fox's amber eyes glowed briefly before it melted back into the shadows.

"Did you see that?" I asked Maya. She was already scrolling through her phone.

"See what?" She looked up, confused. "I missed it."

The fox was gone. But suddenly I felt... okay. Not great, not ready to cannonball into the deep end or whatever normal teenagers did. But less like a zombie and more like someone who could handle this night.

"Race you to the snack table?" I stood up, water dripping from my shorts. "I'm dying for chips."

Maya grinned. "You're on. Last one there has to talk to Taylor first."

"You're cruel."

"That's why you like me."

Maybe summer wouldn't be so bad after all.