Everyone at school knew who Vlad and Hudson were. You couldn’t walk through the halls without hearing their names. Vlad was the wild soccer guy with neck-length black hair, tattoos, and a habit of showing up smelling like smoke and trouble. Hudson was the muscular one with the clean-edged black hair, sharp attitude, and the bad habit of stealing Vlad’s weed whenever he could get away with it.

They weren’t exactly friends. They just had this strange connection, half rivalry, half something else. Hudson would tease him, snatch his lighter, take his stash, and Vlad would always find a reason to get back at him, even if that meant showing up at Hudson’s house at midnight demanding it back.

That weekend, Vlad got invited to a basketball game at a huge stadium downtown. He wasn’t planning on going, but Hudson texted him first. "Heard you got a ticket. You going or what?"

Vlad rolled his eyes and typed back, "Why? You wanna tag along and rob me again?"

Hudson replied with just a smirking emoji.

By the time they got to the stadium, the place was packed. Lights flashing, people yelling, music blasting. Vlad wore his usual dark hoodie, hands tucked into the pocket, tattoos peeking out from his sleeves. Hudson looked annoyingly good in a tight white shirt and black jeans, like he didn’t even have to try.

They sat next to each other, barely paying attention to the game. Every time the crowd roared, Vlad would glance over and catch Hudson watching him instead of the court.

"Stop staring," Vlad muttered, smirking.

Hudson leaned closer, his voice low. "You make it hard not to."

Vlad pretended to roll his eyes, but his pulse jumped. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag, holding it up between his fingers. "Don’t even think about it."