Signal Lost

Maya stared at her iPhone, the screen reflecting her panicked expression. 47 notifications. She'd been offline for exactly twenty-three minutes during homeroom, and the group chat had already spiraled into chaos.

Her phone buzzed again. "WHERE R U" "u coming??" "hello???"

Maya's charging cable lay abandoned on her desk, frayed at the edges like her patience. She grabbed it, shoving it into her bag along with her rainbow beanie—the one her mom had called "a crime against fashion" but Maya secretly loved. It was her comfort object, her security blanket, her "I'm having a rough day and I don't care who knows it" statement piece.

The group chat was losing it over Jordan's party. Everyone was posting their outfits—fits they'd spent weeks curating, filming TikTok try-on hauls, demanding validation from people they'd known since kindergarten.

"what r u wearing maya??"

"uhhh"

"send fit check"

Maya's fingers hovered over the screen. The truth: she was wearing her older brother's old hoodie (stained with mystery substances), thrifted jeans, and combat boots her dad called "para-military footwear." The truth: she didn't care about Jordan's party. The truth: she'd rather stay home, re-watch Buffy, and eat pizza rolls.

But the truth wasn't what people wanted.

Her cable was tangled now, hopelessly knotted around a half-empty water bottle and three old receipts. Maya yanked it, and the hat tumbled out, landing perfectly on her head.

Something shifted.

She typed: "idk yet might not go lol"

"WHAT"

"u HAVE to come"

"maya wtf"

Maya typed faster: "nah i think im gonna stay in. vibes r off."

The silence stretched. Three dots appeared, disappeared, reappeared.

Then, from Priya—her crush since seventh grade: "thank GOD someone finally said it. i was gonna literally die if i had to go."

"same," added Sam. "that party sounds mid af."

Maya stared at her screen, grinning. The cable was still tangled. The hat was still crooked. But for the first time in forever, her phone felt like a tool, not a trap.

"buffy marathon at my place??" she typed.

"say less."