Midnight Charge

Maya's iphone died at 11:47 PM—exactly three minutes before the notification she'd been waiting for all week. The one that would determine whether she spent the weekend hiding under her covers or living it up with the popular crew.

"You have GOT to be kidding me," she groaned, fishing through her disaster of a nightstand. Tangled cables erupted from her drawer like a snake pit of frustration. Her brother's old gaming headset, her dad's forgotten work charger, and at least three mystery wires that led to absolutely nothing.

"Of course the ONE TIME I actually care," she muttered, wrestling with the knot. Her cat, Sphinx (named because he sat in the same pose for hours judging everyone), watched from the bed with his usual mix of boredom and judgment.

Sphinx had been her grandmother's cat, passed down like some ancient wisdom in feline form. Maya had named him that when she was twelve, thinking it made her sound sophisticated. Now she just called him Cat, because honestly, what sixteen-year-old names their pet after an Egyptian statue?

Her phone finally sparked to life at 1% battery. Enough to see it. The message. WE'RE GOING TO THE LAKE. BE READY AT 9.

Maya stared at the screen. This was it. The invitation she'd been working toward for months—the right outfits, the right posts, the carefully curated vibe that definitely didn't include staying home Friday nights talking to her cat about her feelings.

Sphinx jumped down and head-butted her ankle. Like he knew.

"You think I'm overthinking this?" she asked him. "That's rich coming from someone who licks himself clean for three hours straight."

He purred anyway, because cats are loyal like that.

Maya looked at the tangled mess of cables on her floor, then at Sphinx sitting beside her like a tiny, furry anchor in the chaos of high school. Her phone buzzed again—someone posting about the lake trip, already making plans she wasn't part of.

She plugged in her phone. 62% by morning would be enough.

"Fine," she whispered to Sphinx. "But if this weekend is awkward, you're sleeping in my room. Every night."

He blinked slowly, like obviously, and went back to judging her from the bed.