Zombie Mode at Sarah's Party

Maya stood against the wall at Sarah's party, swirling her **water** bottle like it was some exotic cocktail. Everyone else was doing their best TikTok dances while she scrolled through her **iPhone**, doom-scrolling through posts of people having way more fun than she was.

"You look like a **zombie**," her best friend Riya whispered, sliding over with two sodas. "Go actually talk to someone. That cute guy from bio class is literally five feet away."

Maya's brain short-circuited. "I can't. My social battery died, and I left my charger at home because I'm an idiot who can't remember a simple **cable**."

Riya rolled her eyes. "First-world problems, Maya. You're overthinking this whole freshman year thing way too hard."

Feeling suffocated by the bass and the fake laughs, Maya slipped out the back door. The cool night air hit her like a relief she didn't know she needed. She sat on the porch steps, watching neighborhood lights flicker.

That's when she heard it—a soft whine from the bushes. A scruffy **dog** with one floppy ear emerged, looking just as out of place as she felt.

"Hey, little dude," she whispered, extending her hand. The dog nosed it, then sat beside her like they'd been friends forever.

"Worst party ever?" she murmured to the dog. "Same."

Riya found them ten minutes later, passing out with two water bottles. "You're out here making friends with dogs while everyone inside is asking about you?"

"They're asking about me?"

"Yeah, that bio guy thinks you're mysterious. Which is honestly kind of a vibe." Riya smirked. "The point is, you're not as invisible as you think."

Maya looked at the dog, who thumped his tail like he approved. Maybe freshman year wouldn't be so terrible after all. Maybe zombie mode had its upside—you notice things other people miss.

"Okay," Maya said, standing up and grabbing her water bottle. "Let's go back inside. But if someone asks, tell them I was being mysterious, not hiding with a random dog."