A reminder that you don't need the best tool. You just need the one that works when everything else fails.

Elena looked at her phone. 14% battery. No Wi-Fi. She opened the app—a feature that expensive phones had abandoned years ago. She plugged in her wired earphones (the Y5 Lite still had a headphone jack). Static crackled, then a voice: "...and for Westbrook, cloudy with a chance of afternoon showers. Back to music."

The phone buzzed. The screen turned black and white. All apps disappeared except for the Phone and Messages . It was a feature she’d never used before. The phone said: "Battery low. Extend battery life by reducing functions."

She pulled out the Y5 Lite. 3% battery. She tried to call her mom— busy signal . She tried to text her dad— no signal .

While her classmates were glued to social media, chasing likes and comments, Elena was using her phone for what a phone was meant for:

She snapped a blurry photo of the lanyard using the . It wasn't pretty, but it was proof. She walked to the boiler room, where the hum of machinery was loud. Mr. Alvarez was there, sipping coffee.