Three Screens, No Signal

Kai's stomach did backflips as they sat across from Avery at Panera, their knee bouncing under the table. This was it. The hangout. Possibly a date. Definitely chaos.

"So," Avery said, pushing their hair back, "what's your deal? Like, who are you when nobody's watching?"

Kai's brain short-circuited. They opened their mouth, closed it, then instinctively reached for their iPhone, suddenly fascinated by a notification from three days ago. Their phone was their safety blanket, their shield, their everything.

Avery laughed, but not meanly. "You're doing it again. That thing where you disappear into the screen."

Kai looked up, cheeks burning. "Sorry. Habit."

"My brother has this goldfish," Avery continued, like this was a normal conversation pivot. "Named Pizza. Lives in this bowl on his desk, just swimming in circles, thinking he's going places. But really? He's just in a bowl."

Kai blinked. "Okay..."

"I'm not judging!" Avery held up their hands. "I'm just saying, maybe we're all just swimming in bowls. Some of us have bigger bowls than others."

Kai's phone buzzed. Another text from their mom: "DON'T FORGET YOUR CHARGER.

"Hold up," Kai said, rummaging through their bag. "My mom literally—" The cable was nowhere. Of course. The one day they actually needed it.

"Looking for this?" Avery held up a tangled orange charging cable from their own bag, grinning like they'd just won the lottery. "I'm prepared. My girl scouts, but make it emotional damage."

Kai stared. "You carry an extra cable?"

"You never know when you'll need to save a life. Or at least a battery percentage."

Something shifted in Kai's chest. Maybe it was the way Avery's nose crinkled when they smiled. Maybe it was that they'd just compared Kai's entire existence to a fish named Pizza. But suddenly, Kai didn't need their phone.

"Hey," Kai said, voice steadier than they felt. "What if we put these away? Like, both of us. Just... exist. Outside the bowl."

Avery's eyes lit up. They set both phones face-down on the table.

"Deal. But first," they reached into their pocket, pulling out a small bear keychain, "this is Clarence. He's coming with us. Non-negotiable."

Kai laughed, real and surprised. "Clarence has seen some things, hasn't he?"

"You have no idea."

They talked for two hours straight—about everything, about nothing, about the terrifying possibility that this might actually be something real. Kai learned that Avery collected vintage keychains and cried at pet commercials. Avery learned that Kai wanted to be a screenwriter but was too scared to admit it out loud.

When Kai's phone finally died, they didn't even notice.