Zombie Cabel Days

Maya trudged through the hallway feeling like a zombie after staying up until 3am doomscrolling. First day of sophomore year and she'd already spilled coffee on her favorite vintage tee. But the real disaster? The hair situation.

She'd chopped it all off yesterday—ten inches gone, donated to Locks of Love. Now her neck felt weirdly exposed, like she was swimming through air without her usual security blanket. Everyone kept staring. Or maybe she was just projecting.

"Yo Maya! You look... different?" Carlos flashed his easy grin from his locker. "Like, in a good way?"

"Thanks, Carlos," she mumbled, tucking a nonexistent strand behind her ear. Old habits.

The day got weirder. Her cable internet at home had been out since Sunday, leaving her totally disconnected from the group chat where everyone was planning Jordan's pool party. The FOMO was real. She felt like she was swimming upstream without even knowing what the current was.

By lunch, she'd resigned herself to being the weird haircut girl who sat alone. But then Jordan slid into the seat across from her.

"So," Jordan said, nodding at her phone. "Cable's out at your place too? Whole neighborhood's down. Sarah said you're still coming though, right?"

Maya blinked. "Wait, you still want me there?"

"Duh." Jordan rolled her eyes. "We've been friends since sixth grade. A haircut's not gonna change that. Plus, my cousin's bringing his new zombie survival board game and we need a fourth player."

Something inside Maya unclenched. She wasn't swimming alone after all.

"I'm in," she said, grinning for the first time all day. "Just warning you though—I'm taking everyone out in that game."

Jordan laughed. "We'll see about that, chop-chop."

Maybe sophomore year wouldn't be so bad. Maybe the zombie feeling would fade. Maybe her hair wasn't her identity after all.

Maybe she was just Maya, and that was enough.