Zombie at the Party

Maya's palms were sweating so much she could barely grip her phone. She was currently hiding behind a giant potted plant at Tyler's Halloween party, feeling like a total zombie after staying up until 3 AM finishing her English essay.

She'd been "spying" on everyone from her corner for twenty minutes—watching Jenna laugh with the basketball guys, seeing Carlos dominate the karaoke machine, and wondering why she always felt like the awkward observer at these things. Her charging cable was tangled around her wrist like abracelet, because obviously her phone had died at 17% right when she walked in.

"Hey, you hiding too?"

Maya jumped. A guy in a frankly terrible vampire costume stood there, holding a Solo cup. He had spinach in his teeth. Like, obviously visible spinach from the snacks table.

"Um, just... recharging," she said, lifting her cable slightly like it explained everything.

"Nice." He nodded seriously. "I'm Damon. I'm hiding because my attempt to be social involved getting spinach stuck in my teeth while telling a story, and now I'm embracing the persona of mysterious vampire who doesn't speak."

Maya actually laughed. "I'm Maya. I'm hiding because I never know what to say at these things, so I just lurk creepily in corners."

"Lurking is underrated." Damon leaned against the wall beside her. "So, zombie or vampire?"

"Zombie," she said immediately. "I'm running on like three hours of sleep and I'm pretty sure I forgot how to human somewhere around sixth period today."

"Same." He showed her his own phone—dead. "That's why I'm over here. No phone, no social, just hiding."

They ended up talking for an hour about their teachers, their terrible sleep schedules, and how high school parties were always awkward but you still came anyway. Maya didn't even notice when her palm stopped sweating.

"Yo, Damon!" someone called. "We're doing a group pic!"

He glanced at Maya. "You coming?"

She thought about hiding, about staying behind the potted plant where it was safe. Then she thought about how Damon had just walked up to her, spinach in his teeth and all.

"Yeah," she said, putting her phone in her pocket. "Why not?"

Maybe parties weren't so bad when you found another zombie just trying to survive.