The Cable Fix

Marcus's palms were sweating—like, actually sweating—as he stood across the room from Jasmine. She was laughing at something Tyler said, her head thrown back, that effortless smile making his chest feel tight.

Tyler. The absolute bull of Northwood High. Six-foot-two, starting linebacker, owned every room he walked into like he'd bought the place at auction.

Marcus adjusted his glasses for the fiftieth time. Tonight was supposed to be different. His brother's party, his chance to finally talk to Jasmine without the cafeteria noise between them. But here he was, clutching a red Solo cup like a lifeline while Tyler dominated her attention.

Then the music cut.

Dead silence in a room of forty people. Someone's Bluetooth speaker had died mid-chorus, and the awkwardness settled like fog. Tyler made a show of checking his phone, clueless. Jasmine's smile faltered.

Marcus's feet moved before his brain could overthink it.

"I got it," he said, voice cracking slightly. Smooth.

He knelt by the entertainment center, where a tangled mess of cables snaked behind the TV. His brother had mentioned the backup sound system earlier—a receiver, some speakers, and an aux cable that had been shoved behind everything and forgotten.

His fingers found the right cable amid the spaghetti. Heart pounding, he traced it to the auxiliary input on the receiver. Not plugged in. Of course.

"Hey, Marcus." Tyler's voice behind him. "You gonna fix it or just cuddle with the equipment?"

A few people chuckled. Marcus's face burned. But then—click. The cable seated into the jack. He grabbed his phone, opened Spotify, selected the playlist everyone had been vibing to, and hit play on Now Streaming.

The first beat dropped through the speakers, clean and perfect.

People cheered. Jasmine actually walked over and high-fived him.

"You saved the party," she said. "That was actually impressive."

Marcus stood up, palms still sweating but for a completely different reason now. Tyler was somewhere behind him, suddenly less enormous.

"Just saw a loose cable," Marcus said with a shrug he didn't feel.

Jasmine didn't walk away. "I'm Jasmine, by the way."

"Marcus."

"Cool, Marcus. You wanna help me with snacks? Tyler's been talking about his lifting routine for twenty minutes and I need an out."

He followed her toward the kitchen, grinning so hard his face hurt. Sometimes the bull doesn't win. Sometimes the guy who knows which cable goes where gets the girl.