Static Between Friends

Friday night and I'm zombie-walking through another family dinner, phone buzz­ing under the table. Leo's text glows up at me: *u coming over? cable's back.*

The cable guy finally showed after three weeks of nothing but static and my parents threatening to switch providers. Now Leo's got access to like, every channel ever, and we'd planned this horror movie marathon ages ago.

"Dinner's not even finished," I whine to myself, but Mom's already giving me That Look. The one that says *your friend is waiting, go.*

Lightning cracks the sky as I sprint down the driveway, spring rain soaking my hoodie. Typical. My phone's almost dead—naturally—because I forgot to charge it after staying up way too late doom-scrolling.

Leo's porch light flickers like it's haunted. He opens the door before I even knock, grinning that way he does that makes my stomach do this weird sideways flip thing.

"Took you long enough, Cable Guy finally left at like, five. We've got EVERYTHING."

We collapse onto his couch, surrounded by enough snacks to feed an army. He's got this ancient history documentary paused—something about the Great Sphinx of Giza—and I tease him about being a nerd while secretly thinking it's actually kind of cool that he's into this stuff.

"Okay but hear me out," Leo says, all animated and passionate. "The Sphinx's riddle? *What walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening?* It's literally about growing up. We're the answer."

The documentary flashes to lightning striking the desert, illuminating that stone face that's watched thousands of years of teenagers figure their lives out.

"So we're all just stumbling around trying to figure out who we're becoming," I say quietly, and Leo looks at me different then. Not like his friend since seventh grade. Like someone he's really seeing.

The power chooses that moment to die completely.

We sit there in the darkness, illuminated by distant lightning, and I realize something about myself that's been building for months. Some truths only show up when everything else goes dark.

"Leo?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I've been walking on two legs for a while now. But I'm only starting to figure out how to stand up straight."