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A Winter of Rolling Thunder by Resa Nelson (
ISFDB), a short story about a friendship in a suddenly-altered world, originally published in Tomorrow SF magazine in 1997.
Every time Elaine has a new boyfriend, she goes out of her way to make time for her best friend Meg. But when the tables are turned and Meg begins a new relationship, Elaine feels left out in the cold.
During a normal workday, sudden changes startle everyone. A white light flashes in the sky. A shock wave shudders through the earth. Traffic freezes because car engines fail, and elevators won’t work. Everyone panics, many believing a bomb has been dropped and that nuclear winter has begun. People race to find the fastest way home to their loved ones.
Elaine finds herself lapsing in and out of consciousness. Every time she awakes, the world has shifted in a new, surrealistic way. Strangely colored storm clouds race across the sky. Some people float up and down in the air. Nothing makes sense. And yet, every time the world changes, she gains a better understanding of what kind of friend Meg really is.