"No"
Both of them immediately noticed the answer.
Not because of what I said.
Because of how I said it.
Before either could ask another question, footsteps approached.
Ozias and Dak returned carrying drinks.
"What's going on here?"
Ozias raised an eyebrow.
"You all look like someone died."
"Nothing."
Matthew answered instantly.
"We were arguing."
"About what?"
"Which one of us is going to pass out first."
Dak immediately pointed at Kael.
"Him."
"What?"
"Him."
Ozias nodded.
"Definitely him."
"I hate all of you."
The tension weakened slightly.
Not disappeared.
Just hidden.
The boys returned to their seats.
For a while, nobody mentioned the bathroom again.
Nobody mentioned the black eyes.
Nobody mentioned the strange feeling crawling beneath my skin.
Instead, the conversation slowly returned to normal.
Or at least as normal as we could be.
Dak immediately grabbed the special bottle Raven had given us.
The old whiskey had somehow survived the chaos until now.
A miracle.
"A toast."
Dak stood up dramatically.
Nobody stopped him.
Mostly because we were curious.
He raised his glass toward the ceiling.
"To Zeven."
The table immediately became quieter.
For once, Dak wasn't joking.
For once, he seemed serious.
"We survived school."
"We survived exams."
"We survived Kael's football career."
"That was one time."
"Nobody forgets an own goal."
Laughter erupted around the table.
Even Kael laughed.
Eventually Dak continued.
"We've been through a lot together."
His voice softened.
Something rare.
Something genuine.
"I don't know where life will take us."
"I don't know what we'll become."
"But you're my brothers."
Silence followed.
A comfortable silence.
The kind that only existed between people who truly cared about each other.
For a brief moment, nobody spoke.
Then Dak ruined it.
"And if any of you become rich before me, you're paying for everything."
The emotional atmosphere immediately died.
Ozias threw a peanut at his forehead.
Matthew nearly choked on his drink.
"Beautiful speech."
"I know."
"It was terrible."
"I know."
The laughter returned stronger than before.
The rain continued falling outside.
Thunder occasionally rolled through the night sky.
Inside Raven's, warmth and laughter filled the room.
Hours passed.
Stories were exchanged.
Old memories resurfaced.
Arguments restarted.
The time Dak accidentally flooded part of the school gym.
The time Kael scored an own goal in front of half the city.
The time Ozias got rejected by the same girl three times and still thought he had a chance.
The time Matthew nearly got suspended after punching a senior who insulted one of them.
Every story somehow became funnier than the last.
At one point Ozias claimed Dak had cried during a horror movie.
Dak denied everything.
Matthew immediately pulled out his phone.
"I have proof."
Dak lunged across the table.
The phone escaped.
Dak didn't.
He crashed into a chair instead.
The entire table exploded into laughter.
For a little while...
Everything felt normal again.
Like nothing strange had happened.
Like tomorrow wasn't waiting for us.
Like the future didn't exist.
Then Kael suddenly pointed at me.
"By the way."
I immediately knew I wasn't going to like whatever came next.
"What?"
"The challenge."
Everyone became interested instantly.
Of course they did.
The bastards loved seeing each other suffer.
Kael crossed his arms.
"You're running out of time."
"Good."
"What do you mean good?"
"The longer I think about it..."
A smile slowly appeared on my face.
"The worse it becomes."
Kael's expression immediately changed.
"No."
"Oh yes."
"Zeven."
"Oh yes."
"You wouldn't."
I leaned forward.
Slowly.
Smiling.
Matthew immediately started laughing because he recognized that smile.
Ozias noticed it too.
"Oh no."
"Oh yes."
Kael stood up.
"I refuse."
"You accepted the race."
"I revoke it."
"Too late."
Dak nearly fell off his chair laughing.
Even nearby customers turned to look at us.
For a brief moment...
The strange incident in the bathroom disappeared completely from my mind.
Then Matthew's eyes met mine.
Just for a second.
The smile on his face weakened.
Because we both remembered.
Neither of us said anything.
Neither needed to.
Eventually the laughter settled.
The atmosphere slowly changed.
Many customers had already left.
The music seemed quieter now.
The night was coming to an end.
Matthew checked the large clock hanging above the bar.
Then stood.
"I think we should leave."
Nobody argued.
Even Dak looked tired.
"Good idea."
Ozias stretched.
Kael grabbed his jacket.
I stood up as well.
The strange feeling hadn't disappeared.
It lingered somewhere in the back of my mind.
Waiting.
Watching.
Quiet.
For a moment I thought the night was finally over.
Then a feminine voice interrupted us.
"Leaving already?"
The five of us turned.
A woman stood a few meters away.
Long red hair.
Bright green eyes.
A black dress that reached her knees.
Confident.
Beautiful.
The type of woman capable of turning heads without even trying.
Dak immediately forgot how breathing worked.
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
Of course this would happen.
The woman smiled.
Behind her sat several friends around another table.
"We've been watching you boys all night."
Dak immediately stood straighter.
"We have fans."
Ozias smacked the back of his head.
The woman laughed.
"My name is Ana."
Her green eyes moved across the group.
Then settled briefly on me.
"You seem like fun."
I almost laughed.
If only she knew.
"I'm Ana Luna."
She extended her hand.
"And I'd like to invite all of you to spend a little more time with us."
The boys exchanged looks.
Dak looked ready to accept on behalf of humanity.
Matthew looked toward me.
Kael did too.
Both silently asking the same question.
Are you okay?
I nodded.
A small one.
Barely noticeable.
But they saw it.
"Sure."
I smiled.
"We can stay a little longer."
Ana's face brightened instantly.
"Perfect."
The group began moving toward her table.
I followed a few steps behind.
Then...
I froze.
A glass panel near the exit reflected the room.
The lights.
The tables.
The people.
And me.
For the briefest moment...
My reflection looked back.
Same face.
Same expression.
Same body.
But different eyes.
Black.
Bottomless.
Ancient.
Watching me from behind the glass.
My heart stopped.
I blinked.
The reflection returned to normal.
Blue eyes.
Nothing unusual.
Nothing wrong.
My hands began shaking.
Again.
Nobody noticed.
Nobody saw.
I swallowed hard.
Then forced myself to keep walking.
Because for the second time that night...
I knew one thing with absolute certainty.
I had not imagined it.