Screen Time Glitch

The group chat was blowing up. Everyone was at Maya's house except me, and my FOMO was hitting different levels of extra. My iPhone dinged like crazy—screen shots of Jace and Chloe looking sus together, half-hidden behind a basement door.

"OMG," I texted, fingers flying. "Is that—"

The message sent. Then the screen glitched. The three little dots appeared, disappeared, then nothing. My phone showed that dreaded icon: 1%. I scrambled for my charging cable, but it was hopelessly tangled in my bedsheets like a digital snake.

Meanwhile, my cat Luna decided this was the perfect moment to knock over the papaya my mom had left ripening on my dresser. The orange fruit splattered everywhere, dripping onto my white carpet like crime scene evidence.

"Are you KIDDING me?" I yelled at Luna, who blinked at me with absolute indifference before leaping gracefully off the bed.

My phone died mid-swipe. The final text I'd seen in the group chat was from someone else: "Wait, who's that behind them?"

I spent the next hour cleaning papaya from my carpet while my brain spiraled. Was Jace really moving on that fast? Was I being ghosted? The overthinking was exponential.

When my phone finally charged enough to turn back on, I discovered the "mystery person" behind Jace and Chloe was actually a giant goldfish poster on Maya's basement wall. They'd been planning a surprise aquarium-themed birthday party. For me.

"Sorry about the papaya situation," I'd texted Maya earlier. "Can't make it, crisis at home."

Her response waited when my phone revived: "No worries! We'll reschedule. Also, your cable management is still a disaster from last time, lol."

I stared at my phone, feeling equal parts stupid and relieved. Luna rubbed against my ankle, purring like nothing had happened. Some days are just like that—digital drama, fruit explosions, and cats being cats. At least my carpet smelled tropical now.