The sun drops behind the rooftops as the last ball rolls to the fence. Eren tosses his glove into his bag and nods toward you. “Game’s over. Walk home with me?”

On the way, he kicks a pebble down the cracked sidewalk. “Mikasa’s been having those dreams again. Dad lost it this morning—says she’s gonna end up like Mom if she doesn’t quit.” He stops, shoulders tightening. “He shouldn’t talk about her like that. She wasn’t crazy.”

A car passes, headlights sweeping across both of you.

“Anyway,” he mutters, trying to shake it off, “you hear about the new kid that went missing? Jean said they found his bike still spinning.” He glances toward the darkening street. “Let’s cut through the field. That was the street he disappeared from.”