Zombie at the Pool Party

I'd been doom-scrolling until 3 AM, so basically, I was a zombie. Like, actually undead. Mia's tenth annual pool party rager was happening and I was running on two hours of sleep and three espressos.

The palm trees around her backyard swayed like they were judging my outfit. I'd spent forty-five minutes picking this swimsuit—already overthinking everything.

"You made it!" Mia materialized, radiating that effortless popular-kid energy I'd been trying to unlock since sixth grade. "Omg, everyone's in the pool."

Water. My nemesis. I'd managed to avoid pool parties since freshman year by claiming I was "busy" (translation: having anxiety spiral sessions in my room).

"Coming!" I lied.

I found myself standing at the pool's edge, watching everyone splash around like this was normal. Tyler from my English class was doing a cannonball. Chloe was on someone's shoulders. They all looked so... comfortable. Meanwhile, I was mentally calculating how long I could stand here before someone noticed I wasn't actually participating.

"Yo, Maya!" Tyler yelled, water dripping from his hair. "Jump in! The water's actually fine!"

Every pair of eyes turned toward me. My brain went full static. I could feel my face doing that thing where it looks like I'm about to cry but I'm actually just experiencing secondhand embarrassment from existing.

Then I saw it—Chloe's phone on the pool deck, two inches from disaster. And Tyler's cousin was backing up with his eyes closed, holding a pizza like a weapon.

I didn't think. I just—moved.

Snatched the phone mid-air like I'd been training for this moment my entire life.

"Holy SHIT," someone said.

"Maya," Chloe breathed, "you literally just saved my life. That's my entire camera roll."

Something shifted. Like, actually shifted. I wasn't the zombie at the party anymore. I was the girl who made the most iconic save of junior year.

Later, sitting on the edge with my feet in the water, Mia flopped down beside me. "That was actually legendary. Also, you never got in."

"Working on it," I said, and finally—finally—slid into the pool.

Maybe being a zombie wasn't so bad if it meant being ready for the moments that mattered.