Zombie Mode Offline

Maya's hair was basically a zombie by November—dead, frizzy, and definitely in need of resurrection. Junior year was doing a number on her, and her once-vibrant curls hung limp like they'd given up on life entirely.

"You look like you haven't slept in three days," Sam pointed out, slurping his bubble tea. "Again."

"Zombie mode, bro," Maya muttered, fiddling with the loose **cable** connecting her phone to the charging brick. The wire was frayed at the end, exposing copper like a warning sign she kept ignoring. "Just running on autopilot at this point."

College apps were due in two weeks. Her parents were divorcing. Her best friend had moved across the country over the summer. And somehow, she was supposed to maintain a 4.0 GPA while pretending to have her whole life figured out for every adult who asked "So what's your plan?" like it was that simple.

That Friday, Sam dragged her to the community pool for the school's impromptu pre-finals stress-relief party. Maya stood by the edge, watching classmates cannonball into the chlorinated **water**, feeling hollowed out and weirdly ancient at seventeen.

"Jump!" someone yelled, and suddenly Maya was being pushed from behind.

The shock of cold water hit her like a reset button. She surfaced gasping, **hair** plastered to her face, laughter bubbling up from somewhere deep inside that she'd forgotten existed. Sam was grinning like an idiot, and her phone sat safely on a bench, that frayed **cable** coiled like a dead snake.

For the first time in months, the zombie fog lifted.

She floated on her back, staring up at the gym lights like distant stars, and realized something huge: nobody actually had it together. The perfect students, the popular kids, even the ones who seemed like they had everything figured out—they were all just faking it till they made it, same as her.

Maybe that was the whole point. Maybe growing up meant embracing the zombie moments instead of pretending they didn't exist.

"Better?" Sam asked when she finally dragged herself out, dripping and shivering.

Maya squeezed out her wet hair and actually smiled. "Way better."

Her curls would be a mess tomorrow. The college apps were still due. The world was still chaotic. but somewhere between the water and the laughter, she remembered how to feel alive again.