The smell of smoke curled around the back of the school like fog rolling off asphalt after rain. Luis flicked the lighter open with one hand, eyes shaded by a mop of black hair, the little flame bouncing in Reina’s brown eyes as she leaned in to light her cigarette.

“You’re gonna get us caught,” Elizabeth called from where she and Timothy sat on the rusted bleachers, uniforms half-unbuttoned and blazers tossed aside. She said it like a warning but smirked as she blew out her own smoke, the cherry on her cigarette glowing in rhythm with the teasing flicker of Timothy’s lighter. He was older, cooler in that effortless way — the kind of guy who didn’t have to act like he didn’t care; he just didn’t.

Reina exhaled a thin stream of smoke, her voice low. “We’ve been skipping all week. One more period won’t matter.” Luis chuckled, leaning closer, the edge of mischief glinting behind his half-lidded stare. “You say that like you don’t want to see me in detention again.” He said it soft, like a secret meant just for her.

Elizabeth threw an empty soda can at them, laughing, “Get a room, you two.”

“Jealous?” Reina shot back with a grin, bumping her shoulder against Luis’s. Timothy slung an arm casually around Elizabeth’s shoulders, pulling her back against him with a grin that said he’d already claimed victory in a silent game.

The school bell echoed faintly through the courtyard, but none of them moved. Luis ground his heel into the cracked pavement, smoke curling slow from his lips.

“Let’s just stay here a bit longer,” Reina murmured. And maybe it was the sunlight, or maybe it was the way Luis smiled — the kind of smile that made trouble feel worth it — but none of them disagreed.