Zombie Mode at the Pool Party

Maya stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. The dark circles under her eyes were practically their own ecosystem. Three straight nights of binge-watching apocalypse dramas will do that to you. She felt like a total zombie, which was ironic considering she'd been the one livestreaming until 3 AM.

"Maya! You coming?" her brother yelled from downstairs.

"Yeah, yeah!"

She grabbed her bottle of vitamin D supplements from the counter. Mom had started leaving them everywhere with sticky notes like " sunshine in a pill!" as if Maya ever saw actual sunlight anymore.

The pool party was already in full swing when they arrived. Water rippled blue-green in the afternoon light, and half the sophomore class seemed to be there. Maya's chest tightened. Social anxiety hit different in person than over Discord.

"Hey!" It was Jordan from English class, holding a red plastic cup. "You finally emerged from your gaming cave."

"Shut up," Maya groaned, but she was smiling. "Cable's been out at my place anyway. My streaming schedule's completely wrecked."

"Tragic. Truly." Jordan pointed toward the glass sliding door. "Someone brought goldfish as party favors. They're just in a bowl on the counter."

"What?"

"I know, right? Who does that?"

Maya followed Jordan inside, and there they were—two tiny goldfish swimming in what looked dangerously like a mixing bowl, swimming in endless circles. Something about them felt weirdly familiar.

"They're just going in loops," Maya said quietly.

"Yeah, that's what fish do."

"No, I mean... that's literally my life right now." She gestured vaguely at the party outside. "Everyone's out there living, and I'm just swimming in circles. Wake up, school, stream, sleep, repeat. Like I'm stuck in a tank."

Jordan studied her. "You're not stuck. You're just... hibernating. Like, socially hibernating."

"Is that a thing?"

"I'm making it a thing." Jordan grinned. "Anyway, I dare you to talk to three new people before we leave. Your quest, should you choose to accept it."

Maya looked at the goldfish again, then back at Jordan. The zombie feeling was lifting, replaced by something lighter.

"Fine," she said. "But if this goes horribly wrong, I'm blaming you."

"Deal."

By sunset, Maya had talked to five people, learned that someone else's cable provider was also garbage, and accidentally agreed to join the ultimate frisbee team (she'd figure out how to back out later). As she walked home with Jordan, the vitamin D bottle felt lighter in her pocket.

Maybe tomorrow she'd actually go outside instead of just watching other people live. But for tonight, checking on her new fish friends' social media accounts would count as progress.