Zombie State of Mind

I was operating on pure caffeine and existential dread—a literal **zombie** after finals week had drained my soul. Maya dragged me to Tyler's pool party anyway, because "you need to socialize, Elena" and also because Tyler's cousin was visiting and apparently he was cute.

The backyard was already packed when we arrived, bodies everywhere, chlorine and sunscreen hanging thick in the June heat. I spotted the **cat** immediately—Tyler's calico, Mango, perched on the fence like she owned everyone here, judging us with those unimpressed yellow eyes.

"You good?" Maya asked, already eyeing the snack table.

"I'll survive. Probably."

Then I saw him.

The cousin. **Bear**, someone called him as he emerged from the **pool** in slow motion, water streaming off him like he'd been Photoshopped by gods. He was massive—broad shoulders, Messy dark hair, the kind of smile that probably made teachers forget to assign homework.

My brain short-circuited.

"That's him?" I hissed. "Maya, you said 'cute.' That's not cute. That's a weapon."

She smirked. "Told you."

Some guy—I think his name was Jason—started telling this obviously fake story about wrestling a wild boar in Colorado. Bear leaned against the pool edge, drying his hair, and called out, "**Bull**." Just one word, deadpan.

Everyone laughed. Jason turned bright red.

I was doomed.

Bear caught my eye from across the pool and something flipped in my chest. He started walking toward me and I forgot how to exist.

"You look like you're plotting murder," he said, grinning.

"Finalals week," I managed. "I'm not plotting anything. My brain's just empty."

"Relatable." He gestured to the empty lounge chair beside me. "This spot taken?"

"By my will to live, unfortunately."

He laughed—a real laugh, not the polite kind.

We talked for an hour. About video games and how much we both hated chemistry, about his annoying younger cousin Tyler and my inability to function before noon. Mango the cat eventually deigned to bless us with her presence, jumping onto my lap like I'd been vetted.

"She likes you," Bear said.

"The cat has standards. I respect that."

When Maya finally dragged me away three hours later, I had his number and a sunburn and the weird realization that sometimes the most unexpected moments punch right through the zombie haze and make you feel, like, *actually* alive.