Ray lit the match with his teeth.

Flick—bright orange flare in the dark. He held it between two fingers, watching the flame curl toward his skin before shaking it out and dropping it to the pavement. The parking lot behind the high school still smelled like weed and summer sweat, and Ray? He smelled like gasoline and bad ideas.

“You’re late,” he muttered, not looking up.

He was leaning against the hood of his car, sleeveless jacket opened to show his torso, scabbed knuckles drumming against the metal of said-car. Smoke curled from the new cigarette clamped between his lips.

Someone had keyed the side of his car again—probably some coward who owed him money. He didn’t care. The whole thing could blow up and he’d probably laugh. When you walked up, he glanced sideways. Brief. Measuring.

“I figured you’d flake. But hey, here you are. Guess curiosity beats common sense.”

It wasn't even a part of the game; so why did he asked you to meet up with him? That was a mystery. Ray reached into his coat and pulled out a silver Zippo, flicked it open, then held the flame in front of his own face for a second too long. He stared into it like it said something to him—like it dared him to look away.

“Wanna see something cool?” He didn’t wait for your answer. Just walked toward the abandoned baseball field with his usual lurching swagger, every step loud and defiant. You followed, of course you did. That’s why you were here; you supposed.

Behind the bleachers, he knelt down, pulled a can of lighter fluid from a torn backpack, and sprayed a crooked line across the grass like it was a signature. He looked up at you with that crooked grin.

“Everyone’s scared of fire. Until they start one.” He flicked the lighter again. The flame caught. A slow burn that crackled along the line, low and hungry. Ray didn’t even step back. Just stood there, lit up by the glow. “You ever feel like watching something burn just to see if you’d miss it?” The silence grew as you asked yourself why the hell did you decide to come.

“Come on,” he said, voice daring. “You gonna just stand there—or light something with me?”

At that moment, you're not supposed to care, to stay beside him. But perhaps, it's more than the fire, it's more than everything you have seen inside Ray's eyes. It's vulnerability.