They had already sung "Happy Birthday" in the parking lot behind BlackOps Bowling, a dimly lit space where the rough, cracked concrete floor seemed to swallow any sound. The neon lights from the bowling alley flickered in the distance like colorful ghosts, casting flashes of purple and blue across the scene, while a cold night breeze swept through, rattling empty soda cans and scattered pieces of cake on the ground. The sickly sweet smell of sugar mixed with the heavy air of smoke and exhaustion, giving the place a sense of a party that had long since ended, as if time itself had dragged itself there, ready to stop.

Tyler was lying on his back on one of the wooden picnic tables, arms outstretched, staring at the sky as if searching for answers he knew would never come. He wore a plain white T-shirt and faded jeans, his perpetually messy hair glowing strangely under the light of the lone nearby streetlamp, making him look more like a ghost than a person. His usually intimidating eyes reflected irritation, as if he were the only one still feeling the weight of the day.

Jake, in his oversized gray hoodie and worn-out jeans, sat on the curb, shoulders slumped and green eyes lost on the horizon. He was there, but at the same time, he seemed distant, floating in thoughts no one else could access. Hyan watched Jake as he always did, noticing the aura of loneliness that surrounded him, as if he were constantly absent even when in the company of others. He wasn’t someone who opened up easily, and Hyan knew that was both a defense and a curse.

Amelia, with her vibrant energy, contrasted with the group’s exhaustion. She was perched on Hyan’s shoulders, her dirt-stained boots swaying slightly as she fiddled with loose strands of her wild, untamable curls, which seemed to mirror her irreverent personality. Hyan, in his black jacket that he thought made him look more serious, remained tense. A strange unease was growing inside him, as if something was about to explode, but he didn’t know what. He felt Amelia’s weight on his shoulders, but not discomfort; instead, there was something heavier, as if his own thoughts were crushing his mind.

The silence between them was thick, like an invisible layer stretching through the air, interrupted only by the occasional sound of distant cars, as if the night was trying to escape something it hadn’t yet decided to face. The sky, too bright to feel real, seemed indifferent, distant. There were no stars, just a lifeless expanse above them, as if the universe itself had lost interest in humans, condemned to a moment that wouldn’t move forward.

— So, big guy, — Amelia broke the silence, her tone light and teasing as she nudged Tyler’s leg with the tip of her heavy boot. The contact was gentle but insistent, like a reminder of her presence in the quiet. — It’s our last year of school... What are you gonna do after? College’s out of the question, right?

Tyler rolled his eyes, his body moving with lazy irritation, as if the mere idea of answering was an unbearable effort. Hyan, watching him closely, noticed his brother’s defensive posture, the way he always seemed ready for a fight, even when standing still. An invisible tension hung around him, a rope about to snap.

— No way...! — Tyler grumbled, turning abruptly on the table, his body curled as if trying to bury the topic with the same force he used to push it away.

Hyan, still holding Amelia with one arm, adjusted his glasses with the other, his eyes more focused on his brother’s behavior than the conversation itself. Tyler’s expression, mixed with the exhaustion of an endless day, made Hyan wonder how much more he could take. The weight of the past seemed to loom over him, and the idea of another year of school felt like an inevitable sentence.

With a low sigh, Hyan dropped a simple but heavy line:

— This guy? No way.

Tyler, still lying on the table, gave a crooked smile, almost mocking the situation. It was an empty smile, one that didn’t match the frustration burning in his chest, but a disguise. His words came out with a certain indifference, as if their weight was heavier than he wanted to admit.

— Our dad left us a hell of an inheritance. — He’d been repeating this story for as long as he could remember, and Hyan, though he’d heard it a thousand times, couldn’t help but think it was just Tyler’s way of asserting some kind of power. A lie built to make himself feel more important. — And now that I’m sixteen, I’m old enough to spend it!

— You know it’s split, idiot! — Hyan shot back, trying to keep his tone light, but there was something deeper there. A hint of irritation he couldn’t quite hide, as if each word was an attempt to deflect from a more complex thought he didn’t want to face. Provoking Tyler was almost a necessity, a way to push back the anxiety trailing behind him.

Tyler flipped him off with an ironic smile.

— By the time you’re old enough, I’ll have spent it all, big head!

Hyan smirked, adjusting his posture, but his gaze stayed fixed on Tyler, trying not to let the tension of the conversation show too much. He knew one more comment and his brother would explode.

— No way...

The silence returned for a moment, broken only by the distant sound of a car passing, until Tyler suddenly turned to Jake, his piercing gaze as if trying to dig up some hidden truth.

— What about you, Jake? — Tyler asked, his tone laced with a teasing edge, but still carrying that lingering hardness that always seemed present in his gestures.

Jake blinked, slowly emerging from the cloud of thoughts he’d been lost in. It seemed like the night still held him in a distant place, one he didn’t want to be.

— Huh...? — he replied, his voice muffled, as if he’d been immersed in another reality.

— What are you gonna do after school...? — Tyler pressed, not missing a beat, his voice still firm, challenging, but with a forced curiosity.

Jake shrugged, his face slightly flushed from the cold night air that was starting to take over the streets. He was clearly trying to dodge the pressure of the question, but the discomfort was palpable.

— Ah... there’s still a year left... and now my dad’s living in Canada... I haven’t really thought about it much...

Tyler raised an eyebrow, his gaze sharp, as if trying to figure out what Jake was hiding, or maybe just to provoke him further.

— So what are you thinking about...? — he questioned, a touch of sarcasm in his voice.

— Or who? — Amelia chimed in, her voice dripping with mischief, as if she were more interested in teasing than understanding the situation. She glanced at Hyan with a sly smile, and Hyan, uncomfortable, shifted under the weight of the joke, feeling exposed.

Jake, as always, shut down. He was never one to talk much about himself, and Hyan found him kind but distant. He was the kind of quiet friend who stayed in the shadows, more by choice than necessity. Hyan had known him since they moved to the city, but he couldn’t quite figure him out. In recent months, Amelia had told him something about Jake, something about feelings he might have for Tyler. And once again, Hyan didn’t know what to make of it.

He stood there, lost in his own thoughts, trying to understand what was going on with his best friend and what it meant for all of them.

Hyan sighed, wishing the focus of the conversation would shift. As if answering his silent plea, his phone vibrated in his pocket again, and he pulled it out quickly, feeling a momentary relief. When he saw his mom’s name flashing on the screen, a small knot of anxiety formed in his stomach, like a growing pressure in his chest.

— Hey, Mom... you okay? — Hyan asked, his voice deeper and more serious than he intended, the dry sound in the air betraying the worry he couldn’t hide.

— What’s up...? — Tyler looked at him, his eyes filled with irritation, as if the interruption was personal.

Cassandra’s response was sharp, direct, laced with a tension that made Hyan’s discomfort grow.

— Come home. Now. — Her voice was tense, and Hyan himself felt the pressure building inside him. — And bring your brother.

Hyan closed his eyes for a moment, trying to process the order, but the urgency in his mom’s tone left him uneasy. He stood up suddenly, gently shifting Amelia off his shoulders, the abrupt movement reflecting his growing anxiety.

— We’re coming... — He hung up the phone, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on him, the tension cutting through the night air like a shadow.

Tyler grumbled in the background, grabbing his red jacket off the table, still seeming disinterested, but the frustration in his voice wasn’t hard to miss.

— What? Why? It’s not even midnight yet!

Hyan grabbed Tyler’s arm, pulling him with more force than he intended. His nerves were on edge, anger and worry mixing in a way he couldn’t control. The friction between them, always simmering, now exploded without warning.

— She’s scared, you idiot...! — The burst of anger was quick and visceral, and Hyan knew instantly that he’d embarrassed their friends, the air around them heavy with discomfort. He felt vulnerable for a second, as if he’d exposed a part of himself without meaning to.

Amelia, always quick to sense the mood, tried to lighten the tension with a playful jab, pulling Jake by the arm with a sly smile.

— Go on, mama’s boys... — she said, trying to bring the moment back to its irreverent tone. — I’ll get Jake home safe...

Jake, visibly flushed and still uncomfortable, forced a smile, but the look in his eyes betrayed the worry he was trying to hide.

— The only thing that’ll put me in danger is you... — he replied, trying to lighten the mood, but without success.

Hyan and Tyler got on their bikes, pedaling fast, not exchanging a word. Tyler was still muttering curses under his breath, while Hyan felt a growing weight in his chest, as if the night had become denser, more oppressive. Each pedal stroke seemed to take them deeper into unknown territory, where the tension only grew.

When they got home, Tyler dropped his bike on the sidewalk with a crash, his heavy footsteps echoing in the quiet night. The stress of the day seemed to pulse in his veins, and Hyan followed, feeling a chill run down his neck as the door closed with a dull thud, as if swallowed by the darkness. Something wasn’t right. The silence in the house was thick, unusual, as if the air had become heavier and colder, like an invisible threat.

— So, Mom...? What the hell? It was my birthday party! — Tyler shouted, frustration spilling over in his voice. But the words were lost in the void of the house, which seemed to swallow any attempt at protest.

The atmosphere was strange, immersed in a silence that made Hyan’s heart race with anxiety. He looked at his brother, who stormed through the living room like a hurricane, not noticing that something was very out of place.

— Dude...! — Hyan tried to warn him, but Tyler, already consumed by his own stress, didn’t seem to hear.

Suddenly, a voice cut through the air, cold and precise, like a sharp blade.

— Time to take on some responsibilities, don’t you think?

Both of them froze instantly, the sound of the voice reverberating through the house like a shock. In the center of the room, sitting in the dark leather armchair, was a tall, slender woman, completely composed. Michelle. Her short, immaculate white hair gleamed under the dim light of the lamp, and her cold, ruby-red eyes watched them with calculated neutrality. The way she sat there, so serene, made the atmosphere feel even darker, as if she were part of the dense silence.

Tyler seemed disoriented for a second, his anger dissipating and giving way to unsettling confusion.

— Aunt Michelle...? — he murmured, his voice now quieter, not understanding what was happening.

Before Hyan could react, another figure appeared beside Michelle. On the couch, relaxed and with a sly smile on her face, was their cousin Monica. She was completely at ease, her same red eyes gleaming with barely disguised amusement, as if she’d been waiting for this moment, the tension in the air only adding to her enjoyment.

— What’s up, rat brothers? — Monica said with a smile that made Hyan’s discomfort grow even more.

He didn’t know what was happening, but he felt that this night, which had started so ordinarily, was now turning into something much darker and unpredictable. The urgency in his mom’s voice on the phone now made sense. Hyan knew they weren’t just dealing with a simple request to come home. Something was about to change forever.

— Cousin Monica...?