Zombie State of Mind

The heat hit Maya's palms first — that familiar sweaty clutch whenever she had to talk to someone who wasn't her parents or her dog, Buster. She'd been _low-key_ dreading Jordan's party all week. Not because she didn't want to go, but because she'd never been to a high school party before. Freshman year, and here she was, finally invited.

Maya stood on Jordan's front porch, heart hammering. Through the window, she could see kids dancing, laughing, being _normal_. She felt like a zombie, disconnected from everything, just going through motions. Her mom's voice echoed in her head: "You'll have fun! Just be yourself!" As if "herself" was someone who knew how to exist at parties without looking like a total weirdo.

She took a breath and pushed the door open. Instant sensory overload: bass thumping, bodies everywhere, someone shouting about shots. Maya's palms went into overdrive. She needed an escape route, fast.

"Hey! You made it!" Jordan appeared, grinning like they'd been besties since kindergarten. They grabbed Maya's hand and read her palm like a fortune teller. "Ooh, sweaty palms. Someone's nervous."

Everyone within earshot laughed. Maya's face burned. She should've stayed home with Buster and her Netflix queue.

But then someone else spoke up — Riley, the junior everyone had a crush on. "Yo, leave her alone. First time at a party? We've all been there." They handed Maya a sparkling water, not alcohol. "I was basically a zombie my first three parties. Too anxious to function."

The group shifted. Someone else nodded. "Same. I spent my first party in the bathroom pretending to text my mom."

Maya's shoulders dropped. Oh. This was... normal? The terror she'd been carrying all week suddenly felt stupid.

"My dog would judge me so hard if he saw me right now," she admitted, and somehow that made them laugh with her, not at her.

Riley grinned. "What's his name?"

"Buster. He's a chaos demon, but like, in a cute way."

"Valid." Riley motioned to the patio. "Wanna get some air? I can introduce you to my friend's husky. He's also a chaos demon."

Maya followed her out, palms finally dry, zombie state fading. Maybe she could do this. Maybe parties weren't so different from sitting on her couch with Buster — just with more people and worse snacks.