Endless

2

Ty's POV

The bass hit first.

Then the heat. Then the smell of sweat, hookah, and whatever strong-ass perfume the upperclassmen used. The Blackout theme made the whole room look like a dark ocean—faces appearing and disappearing in strobe lights.

Lex grabbed my wrist immediately.

"Ty, look alive. You in a PARTY, not a funeral."

"I am alive," I argued.

"Barely."
She tugged me deeper into the crowd.

I scanned the room without meaning to.
My chest did a little jump I pretended not to feel.

Kentrell was here.

He stood off to the side with two friends, laughing, leaning back against the wall like the school hired him to model "effortless fine."
He wasn't even dancing. Just existing.
And still managing to take up more space than the speakers.

Lex FOLLOWED my eyes instantly.

"Mhm... there he go," she sang.

"Girl hush," I muttered, adjusting my hoodie like it would hide my whole soul.

"He look good though," she whispered.
I didn't respond because she wasn't lying.

Kentrell had on a fitted black tee, chain sitting perfect on his chest, eyes half-lidded like he saw everything but wasn't impressed by none of it.

I told myself to stop staring.
My eyes didn't listen.

"Go talk to him," Lex said.

"Who?"

She blinked slow. "Ty."

"What?"

"Ty."

"...what."

"BOY STOP PLAYIN' DUMB."

I snorted. "Girl, please. I ain't walking over there."

"Why not? You said you comfortable in your sexuality."

"I am," I said, truthfully.
"I just... don't know what to do with it yet."

She softened. "And that's okay, babe. But you gotta start somewhere. Ain't nobody gon' know you interested if you looking from across the room like you in a romance movie."

"This not a romance movie," I said, but my stomach felt like the opening credits anyway.

"Mmhm. Keep lying."

Before I could argue back, Lex spotted a group of girls dancing.

"Oh I love this song—WAIT—HOLD MY PHONE."
She shoved it in my hand and vanished into the crowd.

I stood alone.
Pretending to nod my head to the music, pretending not to be bothered, pretending not to be—

"Yo," someone said behind me.

I turned.
Not Kentrell.

But one of the dudes he was with earlier—stocky, short dreads, friendly face.

"You Ty, right? From the court?"

I frowned. I had been hooping the other day.
"Uh... yeah."

He grinned. "My boy said you got a clean jumper."

"Who your boy?"
Even though I already knew.

He jerked his chin to the side—toward him.

Kentrell.
Looking.
Right. At. Me.

Not mean.
Not smiling.
Just... observing. Like he was trying to place where he knew me from.

My chest tightened.

"Y'all freshmen?" the dude asked casually.

"Yeah."

"Cool cool. Kentrell said—"

He never finished because somebody bumped into us hard, beer splashing.

"Watch out, nigga!" the guy yelled.

I stepped back quick—straight onto someone's foot.

Firm.
White.
Crisp.

I froze.

The worst kind of shoe to step on.

Forces.

I turned around slowly and of COURSE—

It was him.

Kentrell looked down at his shoe.
Then at me.
A slow blink.
A slow jaw clench.

"...bro," he said, voice deep as hell.
"Say you ain't just do that."

My heart dropped.

"I—my fault, bruh, I ain't even mean—"

He stepped forward, not touching me, but close enough that the air changed.

"Nah, slime. You really just stepped on my shit?"
His voice wasn't yelling.
Which made it worse.

"It was an accident. I swear."

"Accidents got consequences," he said, rolling his tongue against his cheek.

His homeboy came up behind him.
"Aye Kentrell, chill—"

"Nah. Nah. He gon' clean this bitch or buy me new ones. I wear an eleven."

I swallowed.
My face hot.
My stomach tight.
My pride screaming at me to do something macho and stupid.

But I wasn't built like that.
I just raised my hands.

"Aight. Aight, bruh. I heard you. My bad."

He stared at me one more beat—sharp, evaluating.
Like he was trying to decide whether I was scary or scared.

Then he stepped back.

"I'll remember your face," he said.

Then he walked off.

I stood there stuck for a moment.
Lex appeared like she teleported from heaven.

"WHAT did you do?!" she whisper-screamed.

"I don't know."

"Yes you do! You stepped on his FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL FORCES."

"I SAID I DIDN'T MEAN TO—"

"Oh my god Ty," she grabbed my arm, dragging me toward the exit.
"You got beef with your crush now. You DOWN BAD BAD."

"He's not my—"

"SHUT UP YES HE IS."

We kept walking through the crowd, but I felt it.

Before I reached the door, I turned back for one second.

Kentrell was already looking at me.
Expression unreadable.

And something in my chest kicked.

Not fear.
Not anger.

Something else.

Something new.

Something I didn't have a name for yet.