Zombie Mode and Goldfish Dreams

Maya dragged herself into third period looking like a zombie from a B-rated movie. Three consecutive all-nighters will do that to you—thanks, AP Euro and that impossible history documentary she kept restarting.

"You alive, or should I call the exorcist?" Jayla, the girl with perfect braids and an even better GPA, slid into the seat beside her. They'd been lab partners yesterday. Maya had managed to choke out approximately three words the entire period.

"Functioning," Maya croaked. "Barely."

The school's social pyramid was brutal. Freshmen at the bottom, seniors at the top, and somewhere in the middle sat kids like Maya—just trying to survive without making a complete fool of themselves. She'd already tripped in the cafeteria yesterday. Classic.

Mr. Henderson stood at the front of the room, looking way too cheerful for 8:17 AM. "Pop quiz riddle! What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening?"

Maya's brain fuzzed over. A sphinx riddle. Seriously?

"Man!" someone shouted.

"It's literally a sphinx riddle," Henderson confirmed. "Anyone?"

Maya's hand shot up before her brain could process what a terrible idea this was. The entire room turned to look at her, thirty-something pairs of eyes pinning her in place.

"Man," she said, her voice steadier than she felt. "It's about the stages of life."

"Correct!" Henderson actually clapped. "Nice one, new girl."

Jayla raised her eyebrows. "Okay, I see you."

After class, Jayla caught up with her in the hallway. "So, zombie AND sphinx slayer? You're full of surprises."

Maya shrugged, feeling something weird flutter in her chest—maybe the first real friend possibility since moving here. "My little brother's goldfish died this morning. He's devastated. I was up half the night helping him hold a funeral in the backyard."

"You're kidding."

"Complete with toilet paper coffin and everything. His name was Sir Finneas the Third."

Jayla cracked up. "Okay, we're definitely hanging out. I have so many questions about the toilet paper coffin."

Walking to her next class, Maya thought she might actually survive this year. Zombie mode and all.