Zombie Mascot, Fox Heart

Maya dragged herself through the cafeteria, feeling like a total zombie after pulling an all-nighter for AP Bio. Her eyes burned, her brain was mush, and the fluorescent lighting was doing absolutely zero favors for her complexion.

"You look rough," said Jordan, sliding into the seat across from her. "Big pep rally tonight. You going as the zombie mascot again?"

Maya groaned. "Don't remind me. Mr. Henderson volunteered me for the costume duty. Again."

Being the school mascot wasn't exactly the flex she'd hoped for sophomore year. The bear costume smelled like three years of teenage sweat, and the foam head gave her helmet hair for days. But it was better than last year, when she'd been stuck as the fox — everyone made "what does the fox say" jokes for literal months.

At least the zombie mascot new this year. Dark. Mysterious. Embracing the dead-inside vibes of modern student life.

"You know," Jordan said, flipping through TikTok, "my cousin says college is actually chill. Like, you can go to class in pajamas and nobody's doing weird mascots."

Maya perked up. "Wait, really? No weird animal costumes?"

"Well, unless you join the mascot club voluntarily. But that's your choice."

A text buzzed on her phone. Her mom: "Don't forget dinner grandma's tonight!!!"

The weight hit her chest. Grandma Bear — that's what everyone called her, partly because she'd hugged like a bear, partly because she'd been fierce about everything. But after the stroke last spring, she hadn't been the same. The woman who'd once chased a actual fox out of the garden with a broom now sometimes forgot Maya's name.

"You good?" Jordan asked, noticing Maya's face.

Maya nodded, forcing a smile. "Yeah. Just... tired."

That night, she put on the zombie mascot costume, the familiar funk of old sweat and absurdity. When she stumbled onto the gym floor, pretending to be undead, the crowd went wild. Something clicked.

Maybe feeling like a zombie wasn't so bad. It meant you were still moving, still showing up, even when everything felt heavy and wrong. Grandma Bear would've loved that — finding the fight in the fall, the humor in the hard stuff.

The fox inside her, the one that always worried about fitting in, finally relaxed. Zombie Maya was honestly kind of iconic.