Zombie Mode at the Net

Maya dragged herself onto the padel court feeling like actual death. Three hours of sleep + AP Bio exam + zero caffeine = walking zombie. Her best friend Sam, annoyingly perky, bounced on the balls of her feet.

"You look rough," Sam said, pulling a vitamin D gummy from her pocket like it was contraband. "Chew this. It won't fix your life, but it's something."

Maya scoffed but accepted it. "Thanks, Dr. Sam. Does it come with a time machine? So I can redo yesterday's entire existence?"

"No. But it comes with a serve that's about to wreck you."

Sam's serve sailed long. Maya's return clipped the net tape and dropped over. Game point.

Then lightning cracked the sky—a sudden white flash that made them both flinch. Thunder rattled the court's glass walls.

"We should probably—" Maya started.

"Yeah, yeah."

They gathered their gear, and Sam's phone buzzed. A notification popped up: Someone had posted screenshots of Maya's private texts from their group chat. The ones where she'd vented about feeling like a fraud at school, like everyone else had life figured out and she was just playing the part.

The zombie feeling returned, except worse. Numb cold.

Sam was already typing furiously. "Don't look at it. Seriously. Those messages were supposed to be safe."

"I can't believe I trusted—"

"Hey. Look at me."

Sam's voice dropped, lost the performative cheer. "You're not a fraud. You're the most real person I know. And whoever leaked that? They're about to find out what happens when you mess with someone's friend."

The rain started, hammering against the court's roof. Maya swallowed hard. Something about Sam's certainty made the shame loosen its grip.

"You're not gonna fight them, are you?"

"No. I'm gonna report the post. And then we're going to my house, ordering three pizzas, and watching that show you like. The one with the zombies who have better social skills than our classmates."

Maya laughed despite everything.

They ran through the downpour to Sam's car, shoes squelching, racquets stashed in the back. Later, with pizza boxes spread across Sam's bed and the episode paused, Maya's phone pinged again.

The post was gone.

Sam high-fived her without looking up from her phone. "Vitamin G administered. G for genuine friendship."

"That was terrible."

"It worked, didn't it?"