Zombie Mode at Sunset

Maya's phone buzzed with the third text of the hour: "party @ Jake's!!! u coming???" She stared at the screen, her brain working in pure zombie mode after three days of final exams. The neon orange swimsuit from last summer's Target run lay discarded on her floor like a warning sign.

Her cat Luna weaved through her legs, demanding attention like the dramatic diva she was. Maya scooped her up, burying her face in soft black fur. "You'd never make me go to a party where I only know like two people, right Luna?" Luna purred aggressively, because cats are notoriously bad at giving life advice.

Twenty minutes later, Maya stood awkwardly by Jake's above-ground pool, nursing a lukewarm orange Fanta while couples paired off like it was some cosmic matching game. She spotted Tyler across the yard—her crush since seventh grade who still didn't know she existed—looking stupidly good in his swim trunks.

"Maya! Finally!" Jake's older sister Sarah materialized, handing her a suspicious-looking red cup. "You look like you need this."

The next hour passed in a blur of too-loud music and people Maya barely knew. She ended up on the patio with Tyler, discussing whether a zombie apocalypse was actually plausible. Tyler had strong opinions about viral transmission rates and survival strategies. Maya pretended to understand, mostly just watching the way his hands moved when he got excited.

Then someone shouted "POOL CHECK!" and suddenly Tyler was grabbing her hand. "Come on."

They tumbled into the water together, and everything went slow motion. Tyler's palm grazed hers underwater and Maya's brain short-circuited. Luna would be so disappointed in her right now.

Later, wrapped in a towel and watching the sun set behind Jake's palm trees, Maya realized something terrifying: she hadn't thought about finals once. Being a zombie was exhausting. Being present? That was something else entirely.

Luna was waiting by the door when Maya got home, judging her silently. "You're missing out," Maya whispered, setting out an extra treat. Luna deigned to accept this offering, because even cats occasionally tolerate humans who make questionable life choices.

Maya fell asleep scrolling through her photos, stopping at one she didn't remember taking: her and Tyler by the pool, both grinning like idiots. She smiled at zombie-Maya in the mirror, who was finally, actually, waking up.