Her parents didn't yell.
They didn't throw a fit or go dramatic.
They just calmly, efficiently, and cruelly took her SIM card—aka, her last thread to normal life—and locked it inside the vault of her main phone. Then handed her the Backup Phone™. The one that died faster than her will to study. The one that took four minutes to open Instagram and another two to crash it.
It was official.She was signal-dead.
No network. No SIM.No way to text Mr. Batman.Just Wi-Fi, flickering like hope during exams.
She stared at her screen, the backup phone already heating up like a nuclear toaster, and whispered the only logical sentence:
"This may be my last night online."
Was she being dramatic?Absolutely.
But in her defense, the offline silence was already echoing in her bones.
She went full emergency mode—her thumbs flying as if she were hacking into MI6. Every group chat, every class group, every acquaintance who once mentioned working at Airtel got a desperate message:
"SOS. Anyone got a spare SIM?"
"It's an emergency. I am but a humble peasant fallen from the tower of 4G."
"Please help before I start making friendship bracelets with cockroaches."
Replies rolled in fast.
"Bro what.""Same girl, my dad once took my SIM because I used 4.2 GB in one night.""I have a spare but it's from 2016. Not sure it still counts as a SIM."
But none of them could help.
She flopped onto her bed, sighing like a Victorian widow, and sent a message to the only person who truly got her brand of chaos:
Sherlock.
Her best friend since she was eight—now living in the US, waking up at ungodly hours to send her memes and videos titled "100 cats that look like they've committed tax fraud."
And then there was Josh—Sherlock's chaotic American friend who had somehow become part of their weird long-distance trio. Veronica had never met him in real life, but if group chats were family, Josh was the hyper cousin who came with snacks and bad advice.
Veronica:
"This is it. I've been excommunicated from mobile society. SIM is gone. Long live the Wi-Fi."
Sherlock:
"Dramatic. I love it. Want me to write a tragic ballad titled Ode to the Lost SIM?"
Josh:
"Do your parents know what kind of medieval torture this is? I'm reporting them to... someone."
Veronica:
"Please do. Or send me a functioning tower."
Sherlock:
"I can send you a paperclip and a pigeon. No guarantees."
Josh:
"I'd offer my SIM but it runs on pure American chaos and overpriced data plans."
She laughed. It was stupid and wild and weirdly comforting. The idea that people across the world cared that she had no signal? It was hilarious. And wholesome.
Then another notification popped up.
Andy 🧨 has messaged you.
She blinked.
They weren't super close. He was more of a "seen around school" kinda guy—loud, confident, a little chaotic, known for his biceps and bad jokes. And for living dangerously close to her tuition classes.
Andy:
"Why do you sound like you're about to launch a revolution?"
Veronica:
"Because I might. I lost signal. I'm a social ghost now."
Andy:
"Dramatic. I respect it. I have a solution though."
Veronica:
"Oh?"
Andy:
"I'll lend you myself. One hour. Unlimited screen time. No expiry."
Veronica:
"HUHHHH?? WHATTTTT."
Andy:
"Kidding. Unless…"
Veronica:
"WHY are you like this."
Andy:
"Bored. Flirty. Trapped inside my house with a box of stale Doritos."
He sent her a link.
A Buzzfeed quiz titled:"Which Harry Potter Character Are You Based on Your Midnight Pizza Preferences?"
She rolled her eyes but clicked.He insisted her Patronus was a cat.She argued it was probably just caffeine.
Between quizzes, he kept the jokes flying:
Andy:
"You'd be in Slytherin but only because you'd insult everyone with class."
Veronica:
"And you'd be a slytherin dominating the world."
Andy:
"Damn right. I'd flirt and fight with equal style."
And yet—despite the chaos, despite the jokes—one tiny notification grounded her.
Vance.
Her quiet chaos. The stillness to Andy's whirlwind.
Vance:
"You doing okay? ."
It wasn't dramatic. It was simple. Genuine.His messages always felt like opening a window after a long, stuffy day.
Veronica:
"Still breathing, Mr. Batman. Wi-Fi is the only thing keeping me alive."
He sent back a simple:
"Good."
And then, after a pause:
Vance:
"I can ask my dad if he has a spare SIM."
She stared at that message. Soft concern. Steady help.The complete opposite of Andy's chaos flirtations.
Veronica:
"No, no, no. Don't. I don't want you getting in trouble with your father."
Vance:
"alright."
.Andy kept joking.Sherlock kept sending memes.Josh sent her a picture of a cat he claimed looked like her.Vance stayed... present.
The backup phone was at 14%, her life still in shambles, but she didn't care.
She had the internet.She had cats.She had friends who made the signal-less world a little less lonely.
And as she curled up under her blanket, eyes blurry, phone burning hot in her hands, one last thought crossed her mind—
Maybe Wi-Fi was magic after all.
The backup phone was at 14%, her life still in shambles, but she didn't care.
Because she knew something no one else did—Tomorrow, the Wi-Fi was going too.
Her parents had mentioned it casually, like they were discussing the weather.
"We'll be turning off the router tomorrow morning. You've had enough distractions."
It wasn't punishment anymore.It was exile.
No SIM.No signal.And after sunrise—no Wi-Fi.
So this night? This ridiculous, chaotic, meme-filled, emotionally confusing night?It was her last stand.
She told Sherlock, of course.
Veronica:
"Okay, real talk. Wi-Fi dies tomorrow. I'm about to go full medieval."
Sherlock:
"Excuse me WHAT."
Josh:
"Do they think you're gonna contact aliens??"
Veronica:
"I wish. At least aliens might have stable internet."
Josh:
"I'm mailing you a walkie-talkie. We'll code memes into Morse."
Sherlock:
"I'm genuinely upset. We had three more quizzes to take. You can't ghost me now."
She smiled, fingers hovering over the screen.
Veronica:
"Promise I'll come back. Even if I have to train pigeons or break into a coffee shop for Wi-Fi."
Sherlock:
"You'd look cool in a hacker hoodie."
Josh:
"Plot twist: Veronica joins the underground signal rebellion. Has a neon jacket. Leads with sarcasm."
Andy's messages buzzed again.
Andy:
"Still here. Wanna take another quiz or should we build a digital bunker?"
Veronica:
"Let's build. I'll bring snacks and emotional damage."
They were awake till four .Random questions and random jokes
And quietly, in the corner of her screen, one small, steady notification from Vance.
Vance:
"Let me know if it gets worse tomorrow."
"They are cutting off wi -fi "
"WHAT !i cannot imagine my life like that"
"I know right,i will manage something"
"yes ,anyways what you planning to do with the last ounce of freedom you have"
"nothing just time pass"
"Thanks. For being here tonight."
And even though he only sent back a thumbs up, it felt heavier than Andy's flirty chaos or Josh's meme storm.
It felt like... calm in a thunderstorm.
And so, surrounded by jokes, Harry Potter quizzes, international sarcasm, and quiet kindness, Veronica powered through her last night with Wi-Fi.
Tomorrow, the darkness would come.
But tonight?
Tonight, she laughed with people she loved, replied to the boy who still waited, and stared at a cat meme with dramatic violin music in the background.
And that, somehow, felt like enough.