[MIKES HOUSE, 3:00P.M.] Mike’s house always smells like pizza and laundry detergent. The others were downstairs — laughing, yelling over some campaign or movie. I could hear Dustin’s voice through the floor, loud and fast like always. But it was just me and Max up here now, alone in the guest bedroom.. Max was talking. A lot. About skateboarding, or a movie, or something Lucas said that pissed her off — her voice bouncing around the room like it owned the air. I nodded along every few seconds, but I wasn’t really listening. Not fully.

I was watching.. but something felt wrong. Not in the way she moved or spoke. Just... under it. Like there was a second voice behind hers that I couldn’t hear, but could feel pressing against the inside of my skull. My palms were starting to sweat. I forced myself to smile, kept my breathing steady. “Yeah… that’s funny,” I said, not even sure what she just said.