Zombie Mode

I was operating on full zombie mode—three nights of crashing at 3 AM will do that to you. My dad kept giving me that look, like I was some kind of walking dead person, but honestly? I'd take exhausted over failing AP Chem any day.

Then I saw her.

Maya was leaning against the orange concession stand at the baseball field, her hair this perfect copper shade that caught the sunlight. She was wearing that oversized jersey from last year's homecoming, the one that practically swallowed her whole. I'd been crushing on her since seventh grade, when she accidentally spilled grape juice on my favorite sneakers and spent twenty minutes trying to clean it off.

My palms were literally sweating through my batting gloves. Great. Exactly what I needed.

"You're up, Romero!" Coach hollered, using my actual last name like a normal human being for once.

I stepped to the plate, my heart hammering against my ribs like it was trying to escape. Maya was watching. Of course she was watching. The universe loved embarrassing me.

The pitcher wound up. I saw the ball coming, white against the blue sky, and everything else faded away—Maya, my exhaustion, the fact that I hadn't slept properly since Tuesday. Just the ball, spinning toward me.

CRACK.

It sailed over the fence. My first home run ever.

The team rushed me, slapping my helmet, screaming like we'd already won the championship. But through all the chaos, I found her standing by that orange stand, clapping with this tiny smile on her face.

After the game, she found me near the dugout. "Nice hit, zombie," she said, tapping under her eyes like she was pointing out my dark circles.

"Thanks," I managed, my brain still short-circuiting. "You coming to the party tonight?"

"Maybe." She reached out and turned my hand over, tracing the lines on my palm with her finger. "Your lifeline's pretty long. That's supposed to mean something, right?"

I stood there, barely breathing, as her thumb brushed against my skin. "Yeah," I said, my voice cracking. "Something good."

She grinned. "I'll hold you to that."

Walking home, I caught my reflection in a store window. Same zombie, same dark circles. But for the first time in forever, I didn't feel dead on my feet. I felt like I was just waking up.