Zombie Mode
Maya dragged herself into first period like a **zombie**, fueled only by three hours of sleep and an iced coffee she'd chugged in the parking lot. Junior year was absolutely wrecking her.
"You look dead," whispered Jordan, sliding into the desk beside her. "Rough night?"
"Studying for chem," Maya mumbled, adjusting her beanie to hide the fact that she hadn't washed her hair in two days. The **hat** was her emotional support accessory at this point.
Her phone buzzed. Lucas had posted a new story. Again.
Maya had been lowkey **spy**-ing on Lucas's Instagram for weeks now, watching his stories the second they appeared, analyzing his posts like she was preparing for a final exam. It was becoming a problem.
"You're doing it again," Jordan said. "The staring-at-your-phone-like-it-holds-the-secrets-to-the-universe thing."
"Shut up," Maya hissed, but her face burned.
At lunch, Chloe appeared with her usual healthy-living propaganda. She dropped a bottle of gummy **vitamin** D supplements on Maya's tray like they were contraband.
"You're pale," Chloe announced. "And grumpy. And you have circles under your eyes. Take these."
"I'm fine," Maya started, but Chloe was already pushing a Tupperware container toward her.
"And eat this. Your brain needs fuel."
Maya peered inside. **Spinach**. "Seriously?"
"It's a salad with strawberries and nuts! It's actually good!"
Maya poked at the green leaves suspiciously. This was her life now: zombie-fied, obsessed with a guy who probably didn't know she existed, and bullied into eating leaves by her wellness-obsessed best friend.
Then Lucas walked past their table. He smiled.
At her.
"Nice **hat**," he said.
Maya's brain short-circuited. "Thanks!"
"See you at the game tonight?" He kept walking, but her heart was doing something embarrassing and gymnastic.
Jordan and Chloe exchanged a look.
"Okay," Jordan said. "That's a W."
Maya picked up a spinach leaf and ate it. "I hate that you're right about everything."
"Told you," Chloe grinned. "Now take your vitamins."