The Last Cable Standing

Marcus felt like a zombie. Not the cool, slow-moving kind from movies, but the exhausted-I-stayed-up-all-night-gaming kind. His eyes burned as he slumped into his usual seat at the cafeteria table.

"Dude, you look dead," Maya said, sliding her tray next to his. "Were you running raids again?"

"Until 3 AM," Marcus groaned, picking at his fries. "But something's wrong with my setup. My ethernet cable is frayed or something. I kept lagging out at the worst moments."

TJ laughed. "That's rough. But seriously, Marcus, you can't keep doing this. You're literally turning into a zombie before our eyes."

"I know, I know," Marcus sighed. "But finals are coming up, and gaming is the only thing keeping me sane. Plus, Maya, remember that group project we have? I haven't even started my part."

Maya gave him that look. The one that said I'm your friend, but I'm also going to call you on your BS. "Marcus, you say this every time. And then you end up running everything at the last second, stressing everyone out, and somehow pulling it together. But maybe this time, don't wait until you're a zombie to actually function?"

She wasn't wrong. Marcus thought about the cable fraying on his desk - how he kept using it anyway, hoping it would hold together for one more night. One more game. One more deadline.

"You're right," Marcus said, surprising even himself. "I'll come over after school. We'll knock out the project. And I'll actually sleep tonight."

"Really?" TJ raised an eyebrow. "Who are you and what have you done with Marcus?"

"I'm just... tired of being tired, I guess." Marcus managed a small smile. "Even zombies need rest eventually."