Zombie State of Mind

I'd been running on zombie mode for three days straight—finals week will do that to you. My eyes burned, my brain felt like mush, and I was seriously questioning why I'd agreed to come to Maya's party tonight. But here I was, standing in her crowded living room, clutching a red cup like it was a lifeline.

The social hierarchy was on full display. Jake Miller, varsity quarterback and certified TikTok famous, held court in the center of the room. His stupid snapback hat was worn sideways—because apparently that was still a thing. I rolled my eyes so hard it actually hurt.

Maya grabbed my arm, practically vibrating with energy. "You have to see what Jake found!"

She dragged me toward the back patio where Jake and his squad were gathered around something. A massive black bear of a dog sat obediently while Jake tried to teach it to shake hands. The bear, whose name was apparently Bear, was having none of it.

"Yo, watch this!" Jake announced, pulling a tangled charging cable from his pocket. "Bear loves this trick."

The dog's eyes lit up. Not because of the cable itself, but because Jake had hidden a treat inside the coiled mess. Bear started digging enthusiastically, paws flying everywhere.

I stood there feeling like the world's biggest loser. These people were comfortable with each other, fluent in the unspoken language of cool kids. I was just the girl from AP Bio who said "like" too much and couldn't pull off trendy outfits without looking like I was trying too hard.

Maya caught my eye and grinned. "Wanna read palms? I found this website that says I'm basically psychic now."

She grabbed my hand and started tracing lines on my palm, making up wildly improbable futures. "You're going to marry a koala. No wait—a vampire koala."

I laughed so hard my soda came out my nose. Jake glanced over, probably thinking I was having a medical emergency, but Maya kept going with increasingly ridiculous predictions until I was genuinely wheezing.

And just like that, I wasn't zombie mode anymore. I was just a kid at a party, laughing with my best friend, watching a dog named Bear dismantle a charging cable for a treat, while the varsity quarterback looked on confused.

High school might be weird, but moments like this? They made everything worth it.