The downtown heat clung to their backs as Lucas and Dré strolled down the street, shadows stretched long across the concrete. San El Zorro simmered in that late-afternoon haze, where everyone pretended not to notice. They headed toward Toco's food truck on Darlene Road; its neon sign buzzed through the heatwaves. The place was a local haunt. "So…" Dré's voice dripped with mischief. "What was all that with Miss Big Bazooka at the park, huh? You tryn'na' make moves, or what?" he teased "Y-yeah… I did." Lucas kept his eyes ahead. "But seriously—it's not what you're thinking." his words came out cautious, as if he was afraid the street itself might overhear. "Then what is it?" Dré scoffed, "She just asked for help with her studies… like, tonight." he replied quickly. "But it's not what—"
"Bro!—tonight!?" Dré hollered. "Shh! Bro, calm down…" Lucas hissed, "Look—I'm only going to help her study. Nothing else."
"Bro, you're trippin'." Dré shook his head. "Think about it—she had options. But she picked you. That means something."
"And what does that have to do with me studying with her?" he shot back. "She could've picked any of her friends. But she picked the guy she turned down on New Year's Eve." Dré stated.
"Yo—first off, what the fuck, bro? And second, you still haven't answered my question." Lucas shrugged. "For real?" Dré cleared his throat. "You feel me on what I'm saying, right?"
"Pause, but yeah, I get it. like I said… I'm only going to help her study." he replied.
The line snaked around the cracked pavement, and people jostled, laughter and shouted orders mixed with the hiss of frying oil. The scent of sizzled meat and spices hung thick in the air. Three minutes felt like an eternity; the line inched forward slowly, until finally a voice cut through the chaos. "NEXT UP!" Toco bellowed theatrically. Lucas and Dré stepped up to the wide-open window on the side of the truck. The sun glinted off the polished metal edges. "Hey, LJ! What's up, man?" he shouted. Lucas leaned slightly on the counter. "Afternoon, Toco. I'm good. How're you holding up?" he said. "I'm great, camarada. Dré, ¿cómo va todo?" Toco said. "Estoy bien. How's Tío? Haven't talked to him in a minute." Dré asked. "Well, you know Tío… same old, same old. Nothing new there." he replied. "That clown…" Dré chuckled. Once their orders were in hand, they left the food truck; the aroma of fried delicacies faded behind them as they navigated through the bustled streets toward ZUT—El Zorro University of Technology. On their way, they cut through Point Block—the most dangerous stretch in all of San El Zorro. Even the cops steer clear of it. The streets reeked of dirt and human waste. Prostitutes lined the sidewalks, their voices rough and melodic; they hawked themselves with practiced ease. Rusted cars sat abandoned. Homeless figures huddled in doorways and alley corners, some wrapped in tattered blankets, others curled into themselves. Toddlers smoked cigarettes and laughed as they toyed with plastic knives and makeshift guns. None of it fazed Lucas or Dré. They'd seen it all before. As they pushed deeper into Point Block, they saw Joshua with Megan, one of the neighborhood's most notorious prostitutes. They made their way over.
"Yo, Josh!" Dré shouted. Joshua turned. He tried to spot who had called him. "Sorry, Megan. Got company coming." he said, "I-Is that, Lucas?" she stammered. "How the hell do you know him?" he asked. A sly smile appeared on her lips. "That's a story for another time, baby." she teased. Lucas's eyes scanned the gritty street around them. "Hey, what's up, Josh? What are you doing here?" Dré asked. "Nothing… just chatting with Megs here." Joshua replied. Dré giggled softly. "Okay, Casanova… what are you really doing here?" he mocked. "Hey, Lucas." she interrupted. "Hey, Megs. How's it going?" Lucas replied smoothly. "I'm great." her voice tinged with sass, "And you?" she replied. "I'm alright." he returned the favor. "Anyway, we've got places to be." Dré chipped in, "Y'all do your thing—let's bounce." he gave Lucas a playful tug on the arm as they walked off. "The hell is wrong with him?" Joshua muttered. "I don't know…" she replied, "Anyways, I've got to get back to work." She walked off, "Hold up! Let me be your next client." A cocky smile shone as he ran after her.
The walk from Point Block took about fifteen minutes; the streets gradually gave way to the cleaner, quieter avenues of the campus. Soon, they arrived at the gates. They flashed their student IDs to the security guard and marched inside. Decided to chill for a bit, they made their way to Dré's dorm room.
Once they made it to Dré's room, Lucas sank into a chair, while Dré flopped onto the bed. He stared at the ceiling, a dull expression etched across his face. "Alright, so… you're gonna meet up with Ashley in five hours." he said. "Four hours and five minutes, to be exact." Lucas replied. "So… you ready for your little study session tonight, champ? Gotta get you prepped." Dré smirked. "Bro… why are you so obsessed with me helping Ashley study?" he asked—he tried to mask his own curiosity. "I'm just excited for you bro…and as your friend, I'm just trying to help." Dré said earnestly. "Dré, let's not do this, man." he sighed. "Forget about Ashley and me—let's just chill." Hisannoyance was noticeable in his voice. "Dang… you're right. All I'm gonna say is—follow your heart's logical desires. Not just what it wants… but what makes sense in the long run." Dré stated.
September Park.
nestled in downtown San El Zorro, stretched peacefully along the riverbank. Tokyo walked beside Abigail, their conversation traveled through nostalgic memories. Then, out of nowhere. Kyle made his presence felt, with a sudden shout of joy, he charged from a distance and leapt into the river, he plunged recklessly. "Kyle! What are you doing?" she asked. "I wish I had your willpower." Abigail whispered to herself. Kyle reached out of the water, "Refreshing." he chuckled. "Yo, Kyle! What the fuck are you doing?" Marcel yelled. "Yeah, stop fucking around." Michael said pityingly. "Come on guys, it's just a little water. it won't kill you." he joked. "Yeah…but your extroverted ass will." Marcel stated.
"Plus, you're embarrassing yourself." Michael said nonchalantly. Tokyo and Abigail met Marcel and Michael, "Hey guys, how y'all doing?" Tokyo greeted. "Hey Toke. We good…how about y'all?" he asked kindly. "We're great, what are you guys doing here?" Abigail asked curiously. "We came for the Bob Marley festival, duh, and you ladies?" Kyle said as he removed his wet t-shirt, "What a coincidence, we also came for the festival." Abigail tried to fit in. "We did?" Tokyo asked surprisingly. "Yeah, don't you remember? I told you when we were at Nolly coffee shop?" she said sarcastically. "No…No, I don't—" Tokyo replied. "Anyways, we're already here…might as well join in on the fun." She said hastily. "Yeah! That's the spirit Abigail." Kyle praised. Tokyo froze—a strange mix of fear and excitement rushed through her veins.
A flashback spawned in her mind… her father's voice, that echoed from earlier that day. 'Just don't do anything illegal, Capiche?' She did not know what to do. Her thoughts swirled into a headache; it clouded her judgment, pulled her between caution and curiosity.
"Hey… Hey! Tokyo, you still with us?" Michael asked worryingly. Tokyo cleared her nose. "Yeah…Yeah, I was just lost in my thoughts." she responded. "Poor Tokyo already wants to bail out." Abigail joked. "You don't have to smoke if you don't want to; we're not forcing you to do anything." he stated. "Yeah, I know—but I always wanted to smoke Marijuana." she confessed. Kyle agitated from her words, "Uh! Don't say it like that." Kyle said, disgust clear on his face, "Like what?" she repeated. "Callin' the herb by its formal name man." Kyle said smoothly—Abigail giggled. "You sure you want to try it? Shit, weed is the gateway." Marcel asked. Tokyo exhaled, "Yeah, why not…You only live once." shestated confidently. "OK Tokyo! YOLO! YOLO! YOLO!" Kyle shouted wildly. "Oh my GOD! Just shut the fuck up for once, bro." Michael swore. "Damn Mike, what's up with the temper?" Marcel asked.
"Yeah bro…you got a problem with me?" Kyle argued. "Yeah, and what about it?" he replied nonchalantly. Kyle rushed like a freight train towards Michael, but Marcel stepped in and pushed both of them away. "Guys…Calm down!" Marcel yelled "Please, guys…the festival is about to start, let's calm down and grab a chill pill." Abigail said. "Yeah, guys…y'all can sort your rivalry by out-smoking each other." he suggested. Tokyo watched as a stream of caravans and minibuses rolled into September Park. One by one, people hopped out—each accompanied their own tables. Shortly after, a musical band arrived with their energy. Small tables and gazebos were set up beside the caravans; some groups even decorated their spaces to make them feel more inviting. By 5:43 pm, dusk had settled in. The sky grew darker, the city lights and the streetlamps that lined September Park flickered to life. Tokyo gasp wonderfully, "Wow! The place looks so beautiful." she said joyfully—as she twirled around with her emotions. "Wanna' go check the tables out?" Michael asked. "Yeah sure, let's go!" she replied as she grabbed his forearm. They ran deep into the festival. Marcel and Kyle stood frozen. "Come on, Kyle, let's catch up with them." Abigail said. She grabbed Kyle's hand and pulled him away from Marcel. "Damn…" Marcel muttered as he watched them all scatter in different directions.
153. Pine Street. 5:44 pm.
Antonio sat on a barstool inside Jack's Liquor. He held his head in a depressive state, furious and distraught. 'What does she see in a guy like him?' he thought bitterly. He took a slow sip of whiskey. Just then, his cellphone rang. He glanced at the screen—Max was the caller. Without hesitation, he ignored the call and gulped his whiskey. "Amanda! Give me another!" he demanded drunkenly. "My God Antonio. You got tipsy pretty fast." Amanda said while she cleaned a glass. "Just give me the damn drink." he replied. "Oh. A girl you liked broke your heart?" she stated confidently. He spat on the ground. "And what would you know, you old rag?" Antonio replied angrily. Amanda slammed her hands on the bar counter. "Listen here, you scoundrel! I'll allow you to drink, but I will not tolerate disrespect in my home." she stated furiously. "Wow, I was just playing with you, Amanda. You don't have to get so angry." he said.
"And you don't have to be such an asshole." Amanda replied swiftly. She gave Antonio another glass of whiskey.
Crystal Avenue.
Stephen's eyes fluttered open, and he noticed Akira peacefully asleep on his torso. Slowly, Stephen stood up from the couch and carefully cradled Akira in his arms. As he made his way to the staircase, he glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall—6:00 p.m. A wave of anxiety washed over him. Thoughts flustered his mind as he wondered where his wife could be. "Jesus, Katherine. How long are you going to take?" he worried silently. He shook the thought off. Just then, from the hallway on the second floor, Stephen heard the familiar sound of Katherine's car being brought to a stop at the main gate. He gently laid Akira down in his cot.
Meanwhile… Katherine drove and parked in the driveway. She turned the car off and stepped out. Soon, Katherine went inside with Mila. She scanned the living room before she headed upstairs. Before she could ascend, Stephen appeared at the stair rail on the second floor. He gazed intently at her. "Hey, honey. Did you get lost on your way back home?" he asked. "Baby. No, just the traffic was packed on the highway." she stated confidently as she marched up the stairs slowly. "Oh. How was the market?" Stephen crossed his arms. "Ah- you know, always loud and busy. Lemme go lay Mila on her cradle." she replied swiftly as she walked up the stairs. "OK." he said. Katherine walked into the bedroom, and gently she laid Mila down on the bed. In an instant, she rushed into the bathroom. She peeled off her clothes and stood naked in front of the large mirror; she stared at her reflection in silence. Then she got into the shower, the water drowned the noise in her head. Meanwhile, Stephen had settled on the couch. He switched through the channels as he tried to distract himself from everything else.
153. Pine Street.
"Sometimes I feel like women are blind to their own choices… but who am I to judge? I'm only human." Antonio stated. "Wow, this lady got you fucked up?" she mocked. "Yeah- not really, since she is already married." he replied. "Well, I can't blame you. I fell in love with a married man once." she said with her crooked smirk. "Whoa really? How did it go for you?" Antonio asked curiously. Amanda scooted closer to him "Well, let's just say… I fucked their relationship up." she confessed darkly. "Wait! So, how'd you do it?" he asked. "Oh. So, you can fuck Mrs. Whoever's life up?" Amanda called out. "Not necessarily…but maybe I could get an idea on how to win her heart over." he stated. Amanda chuckled "You naughty little dog, OK I'll tell you how I did it." she responded, "But promise you won't go and try this by Mrs. Whoever?" she said, "Yeah—yeah, whatever." he said. "Promise?" she persuaded. "OK—OK, I promise." Antonio gave his word. Amanda then told him about her method. His mind raced, and the weight of his choice settled like a stone in his chest. But there was no turning back now… he was already in full motion, ready to make a move that would either mend the cracks or shatter everything beyond repair.