Calling Holo

Chapter I Enters: Ren

"Wait up! Ren!" A boy's voice cried out from the distance.

   Ren, a fresh-faced freshman, weaning his brown hair unclean and uncut. With eyes that were much like that of a chameleon, changing from vivid green to cornflower blue under the sun's rays or took on a cryptic gray in the shade at times, though never commonly.

   The air was thick mixed with the scent of sweat of jocks and perfume.

   Schoolers surged through the streets, their laughter and chatter echoing through the air. Guys swaggered with hands in pockets, pants sagging, and caps tilted sideways as if it were going to fall just like their pants.

   Others strolled arm-in-arm, gossiping and giggling. And that's not to mention boys stealthily catching glances at their female counterparts without saying a thing to them - what other place could it have been but none other than the end of another day of high school?

   Part of this mob was Ren,  pausing in his tracks while some bumped shoulders with him. He was just about to write the noise off as a trick of the ear, then his eyes narrowed as he murmured, "Is that Samu? Doesn't he have basketball practice today?" he finished under his breath.

   Despite being at the front of the crowd, Samu was not leading it; rather, he darted away from it and toward Ren as a collective of students behind him laughed or giggled, chuckled, or chortled, while others looked aside with their mouths covered.

   Ren finished his sentence with a second murmur, "Yup, that is him alright."

   Ren turned and kept walking, albeit slowly as if his feet were bricks. Seconds later, Samu caught up to Ren, panting heavily.

   Ren remarked, "You sure took your time, didn't ya?"

   Samu smiled, under a heavy breath, "You—you, you jerk..." he took a pause, "so Ren..."

     "Catch your breath, first." Ren smugly told and chuckled as he stared at the sky.

   A few moments washed over them.

  Samu cleared his throat, "Okay. I'm okay! So what I meant to say, you're going to play today, aren't you?!"

   Ren half-scoffed, almost baffled-like, "Am I going to play?" He furrowed a brow at him, "You serious?"

     "Yeah! Totally serious, I skipped practice to play." Samu replied.

     "Let's say I'm not. Are you running back to school?"

     "I don't know, I just might," Ren glanced at him, "No, no I won't. That's too far, anyway- but seriously are you playing, Ren? We need a fourth for Calling Holo."

   Ren repeated, "You need a fourth? Who are you kidding, right now? Me the fourth? I'm the first, I'm the shot caller." Ren gestured his thumb to his chest.

     "You?" Samu repeated, chuckling, "You? Shot caller? You're the shi-" Ren's phone buzzed. "Who is it?" beckoned Samu.

     "Dunno," Ren hushed as he pulled out his phone. Without care to see who it might be, he picked up the phone. "Hey, it's Ren."

   They talked for a bit, and in the end, Ren was instructed to pick up ice by his mom. He hung up the phone as they reached the crosswalk light that coincidentally switched green; as Samu crossed, he said.

     "Say, Ren-" and before he could finish, he looked to his right then left—Ren was gone.

   Samu paused in his tracks as teens waltzed past him; he noticed Ren had made a turn on the block.