Zombie Summer

Maya stood at the edge of the pool, clutching her维生素water bottle like a lifeline. The August heat wave had turned her neighborhood pool party into a scene from a movie she hadn't auditioned for. Her hair—already frizzy from humidity—was currently making a break for freedom in every possible direction. A total disaster.

She felt like a zombie, honestly. Summer had drained her social battery until she was basically the walking dead, shambling through each day on zero sleep and even less motivation. Her friends were already in the water, screaming at something Tyler had just done, probably something incredibly dumb but also incredibly charming.

"You coming in or what?"

She jumped. Chase was standing right there, dripping wet, his dark hair plastered to his forehead. Chase. The guy she'd had a crush on since seventh grade, currently looking annoyingly perfect while she looked like a drowned—no, a drowned zombie.

"Yeah," she managed, but her voice cracked. Smooth. Real smooth.

He laughed, and it wasn't mean. "Your hair's kind of epic right now. Just saying."

Maya's palm went sweaty against her water bottle. "Thanks, I think?"

"No, seriously." He splashed water at her, but gently. "It's got personality. Unlike mine, which is just... hair."

She looked at him, really looked at him, and realized his palm was lined with calluses from guitar strings. He'd been taking lessons all summer, posting about it on his story, but she'd never actually paid attention until now.

"Wanna teach me sometime?" she heard herself say. "Guitar?"

His eyes lit up. "Seriously? That would be sick."

Something shifted. The zombie feeling receded, replaced by something lighter, warmer. She set her vitamin water on a chair and stepped toward the pool's edge.

"Race you to the other side?" she challenged.

"You're on."

She jumped in, chlorine and chaos and possibility filling her lungs. When she surfaced, Chase was already halfway across, but for the first time all summer, Maya didn't feel like watching from the sidelines. She kicked harder, hair wild and free, and thought maybe zombies could come alive after all.