The cafeteria slowly settled after the near fight, but the tension still buzzed under the noise. Shawn leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, pretending like he wasn't bothered, even though his jaw kept twitching.
Zay glanced at him, shaking his head.
"Bro… chill. You be takin' shit too far."
Shawn snorted. "What I do? I ain't even say nun' crazy."
"You ain't gotta say nothing crazy," Zay said, voice low. "You know how Mike get. He lookin' for any reason."
Takeshi smirked. "Lowkey, bro was bouta fold his tray in half."
Dennis laughed under his breath. "He was gripping that bitch like it owed him money, I ain't gon' lie."
Even Marr cracked a small smile, hands shoved deep in his pockets.
Shawn rolled his eyes. "Man, he lame as hell. I was just jokin'."
"Yeah, well," Zay said, pushing his tray aside, "jokin' gon' get you jumped one day."
Shawn shrugged like he didn't care, but the slight shift in his posture told everyone he heard it.
When the bell rang, the crew walked out together. The hallway smelled like cheap deodorant, food, and too many bodies packed in one place. Backpacks smacked against lockers, groups pushed past each other, and drones hummed faintly near the ceiling.
Shawn walked ahead like he always did—chin up, hoodie on—while the others stayed in a loose pack behind him.
"Y'all sliding after school, right?" Shawn asked, glancing back.
Zay nodded. "Yeah. We headin' out im guessing yall ridin wit me ."
Dennis yawned. "Yea cause I needa nap…"
"Sleepy ahh ," Marr muttered.
Takeshi smirked, nudging him. "He fightin' for his life aint it marr"
"Marr laughs a little"
Dennis sighed dramatically. " school drainin' bruh."
They laughed all the way toward the exit doors, tension easing.
The sky had shifted to that warm late-afternoon orange, the parking lot buzzing with students blasting music and yelling across the rows. Zay clicked his keys, and the old Honda chirped, lights blinking.
"Everybody get in, hurry up. I got practice later."
Shawn hopped in the passenger seat instantly, reclining like he owned the car.
"Bro acting like he the next Lebron James'."
Zay side-eyed him. "Man I'd cook you on the court, shut up."
Shawn flicked his hand dismissively. "Man"
Takeshi slid into the back seat behind Shawn, pulling out his phone the moment he sat down. His screen lit up with messages.
Rebecca: "wyd? u left school fast asf."
Rebecca: "thought we was supposed to chill."
He smirked, thumbs tapping away immediately.
Marr climbed into the middle seat in the back, quiet as always, hands stuffed deep in his hoodie pocket, leaning forward slightly like he didn't want to take up space.
Dennis plopped down by the window on the left, staring outside as the engine rumbled on.
Zay buckled up. "Everybody good?"
"Yup."
"Mhm."
"Yeah."
"Start the car, bro."
Zay turned the key, and the old engine coughed before settling.
"Damn, I need an oil change," he muttered.
Shawn pulled the visor mirror down, checking his hair.
"Man… I ain't do nun' in that cafeteria, forreal. Mike just mad for no reason ."
Dennis didn't look away from the window. "You did start it."
"How? I ain't even stand up!" Shawn argued.
Zay snorted. "Youn gotta stand up. Dude alr be trippin."
Takeshi, still staring at his phone, mumbled, "Crazy part is you ain't wrong."
Shawn turned in his seat with a fake offended look.
"Wow. Y'all supposed to be MY friends."
Marr shrugged slightly. "We is stop cryin."
The car fell quiet for a second—just the hum of the road and the faint music from another car passing by.
Shawn sighed, slumping.
"…Aight whatever. Mike still not touching me."
Zay smirked. "Type."
Dennis chuckled, still looking out the window. "He aint dumb."
Takeshi's phone buzzed again. He grinned down at it, thumbs moving quick.
Shawn looked back. "Aye, Takeshi… tell Rebecca I said 'wyd.'"
Takeshi didn't look up. "Shut yo ass up."
Marr snorted, "where yo hoes at Shawn
Zay looked offended as he looked at Marr "man stop playing with me I got motion"
Dennis laughed while Zay focused on the road dodging the bumps and traffic
"Im boutta turn up on yall boys, yall trippin'
Marr looked at him with a sleek smile "juss chill bro"
Shawn let out a loud breath, shook his head, then pulled out his phone.
"Aight man… y'all talkin' crazy. Lemme put some music on."
He tapped a few times, smirked, and bass filled the car so hard the rearview mirror shook.
It was one of Shawn's playlists heavy drums, Chicago beats, aggressive lyrics punching through the speakers.
Zay slapped the steering wheel. " turn that shit down before my whole engine fall out."
Shawn laughed, turning it up instead.
"At this point the car beyond saving juss let it happen."
"Mannnn I ," Zay muttered, weaving around a slow driver. "I needa new car fr tho."
Dennis leaned away from the speaker like it physically hurt.
"This shit ass… my eardrums finna quit."
Marr sat back, hoodie up, nodding along to the beat.
" this song straight u trippin."
Takeshi didn't look up from his phone, thumbs quick.
"Music ain't bad… but it's busting my spine."
Shawn looked confused "Pause"
"Alright, bruh," Takeshi said, still texting. "You know I aint mean it like that."
"Nah nah that told me all I needa know."
The car erupted into laughter, windows rattling as Zay made a sharp turn into Shawn's neighborhood.
The car slowed as they pulled into a block that had definitely seen better years. Houses leaned a little too far. Trash cans were flipped. Streetlights flickered like they were fighting for their life.
Shawn's house sat on the corner—beat-up basketball hoop, chipped paint, porch light hanging crooked.
But it wasn't the outside that hit first.
It was the smell.
The moment Zay parked, the loud music cut off and the scent of loud instantly snuck in thick and heavy
Dennis coughed. "Damn… they hotboxin' the whole crib again?"
Marr's eyes widened slightly. "Yea its loud as hell not gon lie."
Takeshi slid his phone away.
Shawn shrugged, climbing out. "Y'all act like yall dont smoke man yall cmon"
Zay turned the car off and everyone walked into Shawn house
They followed him through the front door, and it hit even harder weed smell mixed with old cologne, fried food, and something burnt in the kitchen.
The living room looked like a trap house in training.
Ashes in a tray.
Controller cords everywhere.
Blankets on the couch like someone slept there recently.
A man sat on the recliner Shawn's dad, tank top on, blunt in hand, watching a basketball game.
Shawn nodded at him. "Whaddup pops."
His dad blew smoke out the side of his mouth.
"Yoo…" he nodded at everyone else
Everybody responded with the usual "what's good," "wassup," "aye," before trailing behind Shawn down the hallway.
"Man yo dad stay high," Zay whispered.
Shawn shrugged. "At least he chill."
Dennis muttered, "Too chill…"
They filed into Shawn's room posters everywhere, a shoe rack with mismatched pairs, a closet that had more junk than clothes.
Shawn went straight to his dresser, opened the second drawer, and pulled out a Gallon Ziploc FULL of weed.
Dennis blinked.
" damn how much u need…Junkie…"
Shawn smirked. "Gotta stay stocked. Y'all be smokin' half my shit."
Marr snorted. "Cap."
"Ima start charging yall ass," Shawn shot back.
Takeshi shook his head and opened the back door. "Come on bro, roll outside. I need some fresh air."
"Man… ite."
they followed him out the creaky back door and stepped into the backyard.
They step out into Zay's backyard. Sun's still out, warm but not too bright. The grass isn't perfect but it's good enough, and the old basketball sitting by the fence is basically calling them.
Shawn stretches like he's been waiting for this all day.
Zay:
"Man, this rim still crooked?"
Shawn:
"It's not crooked, you just can't shoot from the left side."
Dennis:
"He can't shoot from the right side either."
Zay:
"Keep talkin'. I'm about to embarrass y'all."
Takeshi pockets his phone, finally looking up.
Takeshi:
"Hold on, lemme change shoes. I'm not hooping in these."
Marr:
"You act like we in the playoffs."
Takeshi:
"Yall really tryna hoop here tho ."
Zay bounces the ball a few times, testing the weight.
Zay:
"It dont matter to me fr."
Shawn:
"I mean after we smoke we can pull up to the park."
Dennis broke into the conversation.
Dennis:
"Not gon lie to yall boys yall got that hooping shi I gotta do some at the crib once we done ."
Shawn:
"Ite bet I guess we can just drop you off."
Everyone stood around each other as the rotation started .
They skipped over zay as he taps on his phone