Signal in the Static

Maya's thumbs flew across her iPhone screen as rain drummed against the attic window. Her friends' Instagram stories from Jake's party kept popping up—everyone was there except her. Stuck at her nana's house for the weekend, she felt like she was aging in reverse while her social life moved on without her.

"Sweetie, do you want to watch some cable?" Nana called from downstairs. "They're airing that singing competition show you like."

Maya groaned. Cable TV. Like she was twelve or something. "Maybe later!"

Her phone battery showed 8%. The universal symbol of doom.

A crack of lightning shattered the sky, followed immediately by thunder that rattled the entire house. The power died. Her iPhone screen went black.

Maya stared at the dark rectangle in her hands. No Instagram. No texts. No way to know if Tyler was dancing with that sophomore girl. The FOMO was going to consume her alive.

She padded downstairs to the kitchen, where Nana was lighting candles with the focus of a surgeon.

"Perfect timing for popcorn," Nana said, like this was all part of the plan. "Power's out, but the gas stove still works."

They ate popcorn by candlelight and watched the rain slash against the glass. Nana told stories about being Maya's age—before cell phones, before the internet, when you actually had to talk to people at parties instead of checking Instagram every five minutes.

"We had cable too," Nana laughed. "Six whole channels, and I thought that was everything."

Another flash of lightning illuminated the room, and in that brief second, Maya saw her own reflection in the window—phone face-down on the table, actually listening. Present. Not somewhere else, not missing out on this moment.

When the power returned two hours later, Maya reached for her iPhone, saw all the notifications, all the stories she'd missed. She opened Instagram, swiped through them, then put the phone down.

"You know what?" Maya said. "Actually show me that singing show. I want to see who wins."

Outside, the storm had passed. The sky was clearing. And for once, Maya wasn't worried about what she was missing.