Three Percent Battery

The party was already in full swing when Maya arrived, fashionably late but internally panicking. Her iPhone had died in the Uber ride over, leaving her social-media-handicapped and acutely aware of how much she relied on her digital crutch. No phone meant no Instagram-storying her outfit, no pretending to text when conversations got awkward, no escape hatch.

"Hey!" Sierra's voice cut through the bass-heavy music. She grabbed Maya's hand. "You made it! I was literally about to blow up your phone."

Maya forced a smile. "Yeah, sorry. My phone died."

Sierra's eyes widened sympathetically. "Oh no. That's literally the worst. Here, take mine." She slipped her iPhone into Maya's palm. "Password's our inside joke. You know it."

Maya ducked into the bathroom, needing a minute. The familiar Apple logo glowed. She typed in the password—Sierra's birthday plus the day they'd met at summer camp—and watched the screen illuminate. Messages popped up, notifications dinged, and she felt an odd mix of relief and voyeurism. She was seeing her friend's private world, unfiltered.

Then she saw it: a group chat titled "Maya's Surprise Party (shhh)" with messages from everyone she knew. Detailed plans, inside jokes, genuinely thoughtful messages about how much they loved her.

The bathroom door creaked open. Sierra stood there holding an orange cable—her lucky color, from that time they'd tie-dyed everything. "Forgot you'd probably need to charge mine if you were gonna use it. I'm not trying to be that friend who lets your phone die AGAIN."

Maya's throat tightened. "You guys... you're planning something?"

"What?" Sierra's face fell. "You weren't supposed to see that. We've been working on it for weeks. Your parents helped coordinate everything—"

Maya interrupted her with a crushing hug. She felt stupid for ever thinking she needed to escape.

"I love you," Maya said, muffled into Sierra's shoulder.

"I know," Sierra replied, not making it weird at all. "Now please pretend you didn't see any of that. We've got like, three more weeks of planning."

Maya laughed, wiping her eyes. The phone, with 3% battery and all its secrets, could wait. She had something better than digital connection right here.