Zombie Walk at 2 AM

The string of LED lights on my ceiling flickered. 2:14 AM. Finals week had officially turned me into a member of the undead. I felt like a straight-up zombie, my brain reduced to a mush that couldn't differentiate between the causes of the French Revolution and the plot of the last movie I'd watched three months ago.

My phone lit up with a text from Maya: *Pool. Now. Emergency.*

I crept downstairs, my sneakers making zero sound on the hardwood. Being a spy wasn't usually my vibe, but something about sneaking out at 2 AM made me feel like I was starring in my own undercover mission. Maya's family's pool house was two neighborhoods over, and running through the dark streets with my heart pounding felt equal parts terrifying and electric.

"You're actually losing it," Maya said when I climbed through the unlatched window. She was already in the water, her hair slicked back like some mysterious creature from the deep. "Get in."

"This is borderline psychotic behavior, even for us."

"Jordan posted that picture with Caitlin. The one from Friday. Where he's looking at her like she invented oxygen."

Oh. The friend situation. The everyone-knew-I-was-obviously-in-love-with-him-except-him situation. I slid into the pool, the shock of cold water waking up every nerve ending. Swimming laps in silence with Maya had been our thing since seventh grade, back when our biggest problems were whether we'd make the A-team for soccer.

"He's not worth the zombie transformation you're rocking right now," Maya said, floating on her back. "But also? We're gonna do something about it."

"Like what?"

"Like showing up at Skylar's party tomorrow and not running away the second he makes eye contact. Like actually living instead of watching from the sidelines like you're spying on a life you're too scared to join."

The pool lights cast wavering patterns on the ceiling. Something shifted in my chest, something heavy and frightened loosening its grip.

"Okay," I said. "But if I embarrass myself, you're legally required to never bring it up again."

Maya grinned, water dripping from her chin. "Deal. Now get out of here, actual zombie. I have a history final in six hours and you definitely need sleep."

Running home through the predawn darkness, I didn't feel quite so dead anymore. Maybe that's what growing up really was — figuring out how to keep moving forward even when everything felt like it was ending, and knowing your friend would be there swimming beside you through all of it.