Zombies of the Fox Valley High

Maya's palms were sweating. Like, actually dripping, which was gross and definitely not the vibe she wanted for her first day at Fox Valley High.

"You good?" whispered Jaylen, the guy assigned to show her around. He had this lazy smile that made him look like he was always half-joking about everything.

"Just nerves," Maya wiped her hands on her jeans. "My dog kept me up all night barking at literally nothing, so I'm operating on, like, two hours of sleep. I feel like a walking zombie."

"Bruh, same," Jaylen nodded sagely. "Junior year will do that to you without even trying. Welcome to the club."

They walked into homeroom, and Maya immediately spotted her—the girl everyone called "Fox" because she was apparently impossible to catch and always got what she wanted. Fox sat in the back, surrounded by her people, holding court like she owned the place. Her gaze swept over Maya, dismissive and calculating, like a predator deciding whether something was worth hunting.

"Don't stare," Jaylen muttered. "Fox runs this school's social ecosystem. You don't want to be on her radar yet."

"Got it. Fly under the radar. Be invisible. I can do invisible."

But invisible wasn't really Maya's thing—not when she accidentally made eye contact with Fox across the cafeteria at lunch. Fox sauntered over, her entourage in tow, and stopped at Maya's table.

"New girl," Fox said, not a question. "I heard about you. You're in my AP Bio class."

"Uh, yeah?"

"Cool." Fox studied her manicured nails. "Word of advice? Don't try too hard. Everyone here can smell desperation from a mile away. It's honestly embarrassing."

With that, she pivoted and walked away, leaving Maya feeling like she'd been professionally roasted in front of approximately 300 people.

"What just happened?" Maya asked, genuinely confused.

"That was Fox being Fox," Jaylen shrugged. "She's honestly kind of unhinged, but she's also student body president and has straight A's, so... we just let it happen."

Maya looked down at her untouched lunch. Her dog was probably asleep on the couch right now, living his best life, while she was here navigating actual foxes and social warfare and whatever this was.

"You know what?" Maya stood up. "Screw this zombie act. I'm too tired for performance anxiety."

"What are you gonna do?"

"I'm going to go over there and introduce myself properly. If Fox wants to judge, she can do it to my face."

"You're bold as hell," Jaylen laughed. "I respect it."

Maya walked across the cafeteria, heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. Fox looked up, surprised, as Maya stopped at her table.

"Hi," Maya said, projecting confidence she absolutely did not feel. "I'm Maya. I'm new, I'm tired, and I have no idea what I'm doing, but I figured I'd at least introduce myself for real."

Fox stared at her for a long moment. Then, something shifted in her expression—something that looked almost like respect.

"Sit down," Fox said. "Tell me about this dog of yours."