Zombie Shift at the Palm

Maya's alarm screamed at 5:00 AM, and she honestly felt like a **zombie** as she dragged herself out of bed. Sixteen years old and she'd voluntarily signed up for the summer lifeguard gig at Palm Valley Resort. What was she thinking?

The morning air still smelled like chlorine and last night's **swimming** lessons when she arrived. The pool reflected the sunrise in streaks of pink and orange, **palm** trees swaying gently in the breeze around the perimeter. It was actually kind of beautiful, which Maya would never admit out loud.

"You look dead," said Jordan, the senior lifeguard who'd somehow become her work **friend** over the past three weeks. He tossed her a gummy **vitamin** from his pocket. "My mom says these are supposed to help with energy. Or maybe she just wants me to stop complaining."

Maya caught it mid-air. "Your mom packs your vitamins? That's adorable."

"Shut up." Jordan's ears turned pink. "So, you ready for the birthday party hoard at ten?"

The morning campers arrived slowly – early risers and retirees who treated their laps like religion. Maya sat in the stand, watching the water slice and fold beneath them, thinking about how different this summer felt from what she'd expected. She'd imagined making tons of friends, maybe meeting someone cute. Instead, here she was, barely conscious before sunrise, bonding with a guy whose mom still packed his vitamins.

But when Jordan made her laugh so hard she almost fell off the stand at 7:34 AM, Maya realized this wasn't so bad. Sometimes the best things weren't what you planned for. They were the unexpected moments, the uncool vitamins, the zombie mornings with someone who made them feel a little more alive.

"Hey," Jordan said as the first birthday kid sprinted toward the pool. "After shift, wanna get breakfast? There's this place..."

Maya smiled. "Yeah. Definitely."

Maybe summer was just beginning after all.