Zombie Mode Activated

Maya dragged herself into third period feeling like absolute **zombie** bait. Three hours of sleep after binge-watching that new apocalypse series would do that to you. Her normally perfect curls had gone rogue overnight, exploding into a frizzy halo that made her want to crawl under her desk and die.

"Nice hair, Maya," Liam whispered from behind her, half-smirking. "Creative."

"Shut up, Liam." She yanked her hood up, but it was too late. The damage was done. Everyone saw. Everyone judged. In the hallway mirror between classes, she'd looked like she'd been electrocuted.

Worse, today was the **padel** tournament in PE. The one sport where she couldn't hide in the back. Her partner was Jason—beautiful, coordinated, Jason who'd been giving her looks all week—and now she had to play racquet sports while looking like a hot mess express.

Her **cat**, Pancake, had decided 3 AM was the perfect time to attack her hair tie, leaving it tangled beyond salvation. Thanks, Pancake. Really.

"You good?" Jason asked as they stretched. His hair was perfect, naturally. Everything about him was perfect.

"Never been better," Maya lied, forcing a smile. "Just tired. Late night studying."

"Cool." He bumped her shoulder with his. "We'll crush it anyway."

The game started. Maya missed her first serve. Then her second. Her racquet felt like a dead fish in her hand. But then—something clicked. Maybe it was the zombie adrenaline kicking in. Maybe it was Jason cheering her on. Maybe she just stopped caring about looking stupid.

She smashed the ball. Jason returned it. They moved like they'd been playing together for years. Maya's hair escaped her hood, wild and free, and she didn't even pull it back. She was sweating. She was exhausted. She was having actual fun.

"That was insane!" Jason high-fived her after they won. "You're actually really good."

"Beginner's luck," Maya said, grinning.

"No, seriously." He looked at her—really looked at her. "I like the hair, by the way. It's... fearless."

Maya laughed. Yeah, maybe zombie mode wasn't so bad after all.