Zombie Mode at the Pool Party

My palms were sweating so bad I could barely grip my phone. Next to me, Chloe scrolled through TikTok with that practiced disinterest that makes me feel like I'm trying too hard.

"You're literally vibrating," she said, not looking up. "It's just Jake's party. You've known him since kindergarten."

"Yeah but that was before he became literally the most popular guy in sophomore year and I became... me."

"You're in zombie mode again, aren't you?" She finally looked at me. "Tell your brain to chill. You're not a social outcast. You're just... selective."

Selective. That's what we called it now.

The pool party was already in full swing when we arrived. Kids everywhere, music thumping, someone doing a cannonball that soaked three people who definitely didn't want to be soaked. I spotted Jake near the **padel** court they'd set up in the backyard—because of course Jake's family had a freaking padel court. He was laughing with that effortless confidence I'd been trying to fake since middle school.

I made a beeline for the snacks, but Chloe grabbed my arm. "Nope. We're **swimming**."

"I didn't bring a—"

"I packed an extra suit in my bag because I know you. Now let's go."

The water was perfect, and somehow being chest-deep in chlorine made everything less terrifying. We splashed toward a group of kids I barely recognized from school, and that's when I saw her—Maya, from my English class, who I'd been low-key wanting to talk to all semester. She waved at me like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Hey! You're in Mr. Harrison's class, right? Did you finish that essay?"

Suddenly I wasn't a zombie anymore. I was just a kid in a pool, talking about how Mr. Harrison gave everyone Cs on purpose to build character. Maya laughed at my terrible impression of him, and somewhere in the background, I could see Jake giving me a thumbs-up from the padel court.

Later, when my palms stopped sweating and the anxiety fog finally lifted, Chloe found me by the pool deck.

"So?" she asked.

"Maya's going to study with me on Tuesday."

"Told you," she said, bumping my shoulder. "You're not a zombie. You're just... waking up."