Connection Reset

Maya's gaming setup was a shrine to frustration. Three monitors, RGB everything, and the trashiest cable management known to humankind. Her dad called it a fire hazard. She called it aesthetic.

"You're not even Ranked," Marcus had DM'd her. "Why you acting like you're grinding for worlds?"

The comment hit harder than it should've. Maya sunk into her chair, staring at the 'CONNECTION LOST' screen that had been mocking her for twenty minutes.

Outside, the first summer lightning storm cracked the sky. Her golden retriever, Barnaby, scrambled into the room, tail tucked, and jammed his 80-pound self under her desk. The dog had survived fireworks, thunder, and the vacuum cleaner, but gaming rage? He knew energy when he felt it.

"Bro, it's fine," she told him, scratching behind his ears. "Marcus is just being—"

The router lights flickered and died. Perfect.

Maya grabbed her phone, planning to doomscroll until the internet returned. Instead, she found herself in the group chat. Sarah was hyping a party Friday. Someone mentioned Maya's name.

"She's probably grinding LoL again," read the message. "Never comes out anyway."

Maya stared at her setup. The cable jungle, the expensive gear, the hours spent trying to prove something to people who'd barely notice if she disappeared.

Lightning flashed again, illuminating everything. Barnaby whined, nudging her hand with his wet nose.

"Yeah, I know," she whispered. A realization hit her like, well, like lightning—she wasn't missing out because of bad internet. She was missing out because she'd stopped showing up.

The router lights flickered back to life. Connection restored.

Instead of logging back on, Maya typed into the group chat: "I'm down for Friday."

Barnaby's tail thumped against the desk chair, sending her controller tumbling. For once, she didn't care about the rank drop.