Zombie Mode Off

I walked into school like a zombie, my brain still fuzzy from scrolling TikTok until 2 AM. The hallway was a sea of低头族 - everyone shuffling along, faces illuminated by the glow of their phones. Including me.

"Hey! Earth to Maya!" Jamie waved her hand in my face, her signature bucket hat tilted sideways. "You've been staring at that iPhone like it holds the secrets to the universe."

I blinked. "Sorry. Just... Ryan posted a story and I'm overthinking it."

Jamie rolled her eyes so hard I worried they'd get stuck. "Girl, you've been doomstalking his posts since homecoming. That was, what, three months ago? You're literally zombie-walking through life."

She wasn't wrong. But what could I do? My entire social existence lived on that phone. Every crush update, every party invite, every subtle shade - all orchestrated through carefully curated posts and stories.

"I can't just... stop," I said defensively. "I'll miss everything."

"Or," Jamie countered, "you could actually experience things instead of just documenting them for clout."

Later that day, I found myself at the beach - Jamie's idea of 'digital detox.' She'd confiscated my phone, leaving me with nothing but the sound of waves and the weird emptiness of no notifications.

The water was freezing, but I waded in anyway. Something about the shock of cold made me feel... present? Like, actually present in my body instead of dissociating through a screen.

Jamie's phone buzzed on her towel. She ignored it.

"Aren't you gonna check that?" I asked.

"Nah," she said, floating on her back. "The world can wait. My friend needs a real conversation, not another DM."

Something shifted in my chest. A warm feeling that had nothing to do with likes or comments or streaks.

"You're right," I said. "I've been letting everything pass me by. Just zombie-ing through the best years of my life for... what? Validation from people who don't even care?"

Jamie grinned, splashing water at me. "Welcome back to the land of the living. Now help me find my hat before it blows away."

Later, when she finally returned my phone, I didn't immediately unlock it. I watched the sunset instead - no filter needed. Being a teenager was hard enough without performing it for an audience.

Zombie mode: off.

Human mode: on.