Cable Ties and Zombie Eyes

The HDMI cable lay coiled like a snake on my floor, mocking me. Three days until the regional finals, and my setup was dead. Again.

"You look like a zombie," Maya said, leaning against my doorframe. She'd taken to calling herself my best friend since kindergarten, but lately the title felt provisional. Like she was waiting for an upgrade.

"Didn't sleep. Tournament prep." I rubbed my palms against my eyes – they felt gritty, like someone'd poured sand in them while I'd slept. If I'd slept.

"You're sixteen, Leo. Not a professional e-sports mercenary." She stepped over the tangled cables scattered across my room like radioactive vines. "Mom says dinner's ready. You coming?"

"In a bit. Need to fix this first."

She lingered. I could feel her measuring my worth in the silence, weighing our years of shared secrets against how much I'd changed since gaming became everything. Since my streaming channel blew up and I started having sponsors contact me. Since I started speaking a different language.

"Your palms are sweaty," she observed. "Nervous about the match?"

"Something like that."

"Wanna know what else makes palms sweat?"

"Maya, please."

"Your palm line says you're gonna die alone," she joked, but her smile didn't reach her eyes. "Just kidding. I don't even know how to read palms. My cousin showed me once at a party, but I think she was making it up."

I sighed. "I miss when we were just kids playing Mario Kart without sponsors watching our every move."

"Yeah," she said quietly. "Me too."

The cable finally clicked into place. My screen flickered to life – the familiar loading screen, the chat scrolling in the corner, the digital world where I was someone. Where people knew my name.

"Leo?" Maya's voice softened. "Your mom's worried about you. She says you've been acting like a zombie for weeks. Just walking through everything on autopilot."

I stared at the screen where my avatar waited, sword raised. What was I fighting for?

"Cable's fixed," I said. "But Maya?"

"Yeah?"

"Wanna help me with the intro stream? I could use a second player. Someone who remembers when this was just for fun."

She grinned. "Only if I can beat you."

"Deal."

Some cables tangle. Others tie you to what matters.