Zombies at the Water Park

Marcus dragged himself through the employee gate at Splash World feeling like a straight-up zombie. Three weeks of summer, and he was already cooked. His primo gig as a lifeguard should've been lit—instead, he was spending every break watching Jaquan and the other baseball bros flex by the wave pool while hoping nobody noticed his中级 lifeguard certification had come from an online course he'd barely paid attention to.

The water shimmered like diamonds under the July sun, hiding three days worth of questionable decisions. Marcus had mastered the art of looking busy while spiraling, but his controller dad kept texting about his college applications. The pressure was straight-up suffocating.

Then Priya slid into the break area, her soaked cable-knit sweater dripping everywhere. "You're not gonna believe what happened at the petting zoo. Some bull decided he'd had enough of being petted and jumped the fence. Now it's loose somewhere behind the parking lot."

Marcus blinked. "A literal bull?"

"A literal bull, Marcus." She nudged him. "Also, my cousin's doing this zombie makeup thing tonight and she needs models. You in?"

Normally Marcus would've dipped. He had zero interest in being anyone's canvas. But something about Priya's eyes—how they actually saw him instead of through him—made him say yes.

That night, surrounded by purple face paint and while Jaquan finally texted back about hanging out, Marcus realized something: nobody had it figured out. The baseball bros were probably insecure too. The bull wandering somewhere in the dark was definitely more confused than bold. And he, Marcus Harrison, certified awkward teen, was allowed to be mid-progress.

His dad called right as Priya finished the zombie bite mark on his neck.

"Hey son, just checking on those applications—"

"Dad, I got this. Also, I might need you to pick me up. There's apparently a bull loose behind the water park."

Silence. Then his dad started laughing. For the first time all summer, Marcus laughed too.