Zombie State, Big Hair Energy - Every Minute a Story

Maya stared at her reflection, willing her hair to magically transform back to its normal dirty-blonde. Instead, the electric blue locks stared back, mocking her poor life choices. The DIY dye job was supposed to be subtle highlights. Subtle. Not "I'm now the human embodiment of a toxic waste spill."

"You look... intense," said Leo, leaning against her doorframe like he owned the place. Which, technically, his kind of did.

"Intense?" Maya turned. "I look like a zombie that crawled out of a rave, Leo. Homecoming is in TWO HOURS."

"Zombie chic is in this year." He shrugged. "Besides, you're the one who decided to DIY it at 2 AM during finals week. That's not poor decision-making, that's practically self-sabotage."

Maya slumped onto her bed. "I haven't slept properly in three days, Leo. Three days. I'm operating on pure caffeine anxiety and spite."

"And bad hair decisions."

The silence stretched between them, comfortable and familiar. They'd been best friends since seventh grade, back when she'd had braces and he'd had that unfortunate middle part situation they both agreed to never discuss again.

"So what's the move?" Leo asked. "Wash it?"

"Tried that. It's semi-permanent. Basically, I have to bear the consequences of my actions like a functional adult. Which I am very clearly not."

"Okay, backup plan. What if we—"

Leo's phone buzzed. His face fell. "Yo, I gotta bounce. Jenna's waiting for me. We're supposed to meet up before the dance."

Maya's stomach did that thing it always did when Jenna came up. That weird little twist of oh, right, priorities.

"Go," she said. "I'll figure it out."

"Maya, wait—"

"Seriously. Go. Have fun. I'll just tell everyone I'm making a statement about societal expectations or whatever."

He hesitated, then: "You're coming, right? Like, you're still going?"

"I don't know, Leo. Maybe I'll stay home and—"

"No. No way." He stepped closer. "Maya, you literally taught me how to dance in eighth grade so I wouldn't embarrass myself at Sarah's bat mitzvah. You showed up to my soccer games when I sat on the bench the entire season. You're not skipping homecoming just because you're having a zombie moment and your hair is... ambitious."

"Ambitious?"

"It's making a statement, Maya. A bold one. Like you."

Something in her chest loosened. "That was actually kinda smooth, Leo."

"I have my moments." He grinned. "Now come on. If we're late, Jenna's gonna literally kill me, and I'd like to survive long enough to graduate."

Maya stood up, caught her reflection again, and decided blue hair could be a whole mood if she let it. "Fine. But you're buying me extra punch."

"Deal. And Maya?"

"What?"

"You don't look like a zombie. You look like someone who's about to make homecoming way more interesting."

She grabbed her bag, blue hair and all. "Fine by me. Boring is overrated anyway."