The Cat Named Cable

My cat chewed through my HDMI cord twenty minutes before Jordan was supposed to come over. That's Cable for you—a chaotic ball of orange fur who lives up to his name by destroying every cable in sight.

"Bro, you cannot keep doing this," I muttered, scooping him up. He purred like he hadn't just sabotaged my entire Friday night. Jordan and I had been vibing since homecoming, and tonight was supposed to be our Netflix-and-actually-chill moment. No friends over, no interruptions. Just us.

I texted Jordan: Cable struck again. Might need to reschedule??

Three dots. Then three more dots. Then nothing.

My stomach did that thing where it feels like someone's squeezing it. Jordan's been acting weird all week—short texts, cancelled plans, the whole slow fade routine. I thought it was just stress about finals, but what if I was reading it wrong? What if the vibe was completely off?

Cable meowed at my feet, probably hungry for the tuna I'd promised him earlier. I flopped onto my bed and stared at my ceiling. Friendship breakups hit harder than romantic ones, honestly. At least with relationships, people talk about it. With friends, you just drift apart until you're strangers who used to know each other's secrets.

My phone buzzed. Jordan: lol come over instead

I shot up so fast Cable yowled in protest. Really??

Yeah my parents are out and I have snacks

Grabbed my jacket. "You're the worst, Cable," I told him, but I was smiling. He yawned in response, completely unbothered.

Walking to Jordan's house, I realized something: Cable destroys cables, but he also forces me to talk to people face to face. Maybe there's wisdom in that. Or maybe he's just a menace with a tuna addiction.

Either way, tonight wasn't cancelled. It was just getting rewritten.