Dead Battery, Wild Bull

The screen glowed at 2:47 AM when Marcus's text came through: "U coming?"

I'd been **running** scenarios in my head for three hours. Mom's endless lectures about my "wasted potential" still echoed in my room, but tonight was supposed to be different. Senior year, first party of the year, first time hanging with the popular crowd – if I chickened out now, I'd be stuck in loser territory forever.

Marcus, my oldest **friend**, was already waiting behind the abandoned Blockbuster, cigarette glowing orange in the dark like some messed-up firefly. We'd grown up together, but lately he'd been changing – vaping, skipping class, hanging with the older crowd that dealt stuff behind the gym.

"You nervous?" he asked, exhaling a cloud that smelled like fake strawberries.

"Nah," I lied, checking my **iPhone** for the tenth time. 3% battery. Perfect.

The shortcut through Peterson's property was our mistake. The fence had been easy to hop, but the field beyond it? That's where things went sideways.

"Yo," Marcus whispered, grabbing my arm. "That's a **bull**."

I laughed. "Bullshit."

"No, LIKE – an actual bull."

And there it was, massive horns silhouetted against the moon, staring at us like we were personally insulting its ancestors. The creature snorted, and I felt my entire life flash before my eyes. Prom. College. The Instagram story I'd never get to post.

"RUN," I yelled.

We bolted, I guess you could say we were **running** for our lives – literally this time. My phone died somewhere around the fence, my earbud **cable** whipping around like a possessed jump rope. But we made it, collapsing onto the pavement behind the Blockbuster, gasping for air, hearts pounding like we'd just finished a marathon.

Marcus started laughing first – that crazy wheeze he does when something's too ridiculous to process. I joined in, because what else could we do? We'd almost been trampled by a bull, my phone was dead, and we were still going to that party.

"Guess we're both idiots," he said, bumping my shoulder.

"Yeah," I replied, grinning in the dark. "But at least we're idiots together."