The school day had ended, but the air around the building was still thick with voices, laughter, and the clatter of lockers slamming shut. Rey stepped into the courtyard with Michael and Carlos, the three of them moving in easy rhythm like a well-rehearsed trio.
"Pizza or the court?" Michael asked, dribbling an invisible ball as they walked.
"Pizza," Carlos said instantly. "We win more games when we eat first."
Rey chuckled. "Pretty sure that's not how it works."
They crossed the street toward the small pizzeria two blocks down. The doorbell chimed as they entered, the warm smell of dough and tomato sauce wrapping around them. They ordered a large to share and slid into their usual booth by the window.
---
Halfway through their slices, Michael lowered his voice just a little.
"So… you hear about the thing at the park last night?"
Rey raised an eyebrow. "What thing?"
"Some dude got jumped. No one saw who did it, but…" Michael leaned forward. "…they said whoever it was didn't use a weapon. Just… fists. Broke a guy's jaw clean in two."
Carlos whistled low. "That's brutal."
Rey chewed slowly, his mind ticking over the words. He didn't comment — just reached for another slice.
---
After pizza, they headed toward the basketball court. The chain-link fence rattled in the breeze, and a few kids were already playing half-court. Rey joined in, his movements fluid from years of footwork training.
Mid-game, a voice called from the sideline.
"Chen!"
Rey turned. A girl stood by the fence, hand raised in greeting. Tall, athletic, with a dark ponytail and a warm but confident gaze. Aaliyah Sanchez — captain of the girls' track team and the kind of person who could walk into any room and pull every eye without trying.
"You just gonna stand there or you gonna say hi?" she teased, grinning.
Rey smirked and jogged over, wiping sweat from his brow. "Hey, Sanchez. You still breaking school records?"
"Trying," she said, leaning casually against the fence. "Caught your fight on someone's livestream. You've still got that crazy timing."
There was something in her tone — a spark that made Michael and Carlos, still on the court, exchange knowing looks.
"You coming to the Spring Bash next Friday?" she asked.
"Hadn't thought about it," Rey replied.
"Think about it," she said with a small smile before walking off toward the track field.
---
Evening came faster than expected. The sky faded into a wash of pink and purple as they wrapped up the game. Carlos headed home, Michael split off toward the subway, and Rey took the long way back, cutting through the park.
The path was quiet, lined with tall oaks whose branches tangled like fingers above him. His sneakers crunched softly against the gravel. A dog barked somewhere in the distance — sharp, then silenced abruptly.
Rey slowed.
From the corner of his eye, movement.
A flicker. A shape between the trees.
It was gone before he could focus on it.
A group of kids passed him, talking loudly, breaking the tension for a moment. He kept walking.
But two minutes later, the feeling returned — that strange prickle at the back of his neck, the sense that the air behind him was… occupied.
He stopped and looked over his shoulder.
The path was empty.
Still, he walked the rest of the way home faster than usual.