The Cat Who Knew

Maya's iPhone buzzed on her nightstand at 11:47 PM, screen lighting up with another notification from the group chat. She'd been ghosting them for three days now—ever since Jordan had posted that screenshot of her private DM to Lucas. The screenshot where she'd confessed she still liked him. The caption read: "lmao someone's desperate 🤡"

She reached for the phone, then stopped. Barnaby—her chunky orange tabby—curled tighter against her leg, purring like a tiny motor. He always knew when she was spiraling.

"You're better than this, Maya," she whispered. But her thumb hovered over the screen anyway.

The next morning at school, Maya found Jordan holding court by the lockers, holding his iPhone like a weapon. "And then she—"

Maya didn't think. She just walked up and said, "That's bull, Jordan."

The hallway went dead silent. Jordan's face went from smug to confused. "What?"

"That screenshot." Maya's voice shook but she didn't stop. "You edited it. I never said that. And everyone knows you're just trying to start drama because you're bored."

She didn't wait for a response. She walked away, heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird.

By lunch, her phone was blowing up. Not with hate—with DMs from people saying they'd known Jordan was full of it, that they were glad someone finally called him out. Lucas even messaged: "hey, wanna hang this weekend? for real this time"

That night, Maya curled up with Barnaby and finally turned her phone back on. No more ghosting. No more letting someone else control her story. She'd always thought being brave meant not being scared. Now she knew: being brave meant being scared and doing it anyway.

Barnaby headbutted her chin, purring like he'd known all along she'd figure it out.