Disconnected

"You need a new HDMI cable," Leo said, holding up the frayed end of mine like it was a dead mouse. "This thing is ancient, Maya."

I rolled my eyes. "It works fine. Not all of us have rich parents who buy us new tech every time something gets a little scratch on it."

Leo flushed the color of a bad sunburn. He hated when I called him out on his money stuff. We'd been best friends since seventh grade, back when he was just the awkward kid with braces and I was the girl who couldn't sit still in class. Now we were juniors, and things were... different. Complicated.

"Sorry," he mumbled, adjusting his glasses. "I can just bring one from my setup. My parents got me that new fiber optic stuff, so I have extras."

"Bring whatever," I said, grabbing a water bottle from my desk. "Just make sure we're live by seven. I've been hyping this stream all week."

Leo nodded, but I could tell something was off. He kept fidgeting with his backpack strap, not meeting my eyes. We'd been gaming together forever, but recently every time we hung out, there was this weird tension between us. Like we were both waiting for something to happen but neither of us knew what.

My mom popped her head in. "Maya, did you remember to take your vitamin D? Dr. Chen said you're low."

"Yeah, Mom, I took it," I lied. "Can you close the door? We're working."

She sighed but closed it. Leo cracked a tiny smile.

"Your mom's intense,"

"She means well," I said, though I felt bad about lying. The truth was, I kept forgetting to take them. Between school, streaming, and overthinking every interaction with Leo, my brain was maxed out.

"So, I was thinking..." Leo started, then stopped. "Never mind."

"What?" I asked, heart suddenly hammering.

"Just, after the stream, maybe we could hang? Like, actually hang? Not gaming or anything. Just... talk?"

A fox screamed outside – that weird human-like cry they make that always sounds like someone getting murdered. We both jumped, then cracked up laughing.

"Was that a fox?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, there's one that lives in the woods behind my house," I said. "My little sister calls him Mr. Fancy Pants because his tail is so fluffy."

Leo smiled. "You named a fox."

"My sister named him. I just go with it."

He looked at me then, really looked at me, and I felt my face get hot. "So? About hanging out after?"

"Yeah," I said, trying to sound casual. "I'd like that."

"Cool," he said, grinning like an idiot. "Cool, cool, cool."

"You're such a dork,"

"Your dork though," he said, then immediately looked panicked. "I mean – not that you – like –"

I laughed. "Leo. Chill. I know what you mean."

And maybe I did know. Maybe that's what had been weird between us lately – the almost-something that neither of us had been brave enough to say. But as he fumbled with my cables and I took a sip from my water bottle, grinning at his awkwardness, I thought yeah. Maybe he was my dork. And maybe that was okay.

Maybe that was everything.