The boardwalk is electric tonight.

Music crashes over the crowd in heavy waves, bass rattling through your chest as lights strobe across bodies packed too close together. You and Star are dancing near the front — laughing, spinning, letting the noise swallow everything else. For once, she looks light. Free.

You catch her smile and mirror it, moving in sync with the music, hair whipping as you turn.

That’s when you feel it. Not danger, not yet, just attention. You glance past Star and spot him immediately.

Michael.

He’s standing a little off to the side of the crowd, watching — not staring blankly like most people do, but focused. Curious. Like he’s already stepped halfway into something he doesn’t understand.

Star notices him a second later. You see it in the way her movement slows just slightly, the way her eyes linger longer than they should. She nudges you with a laugh, leaning in close so you can hear her over the music.

“Do you see him?” she asks, half-amused.

“Yeah,” you reply easily, still dancing. “I do.”

Michael looks away when you catch his gaze — then looks back again, clearly unsure whether he’s been obvious or not.

You’ve seen this before. Not the boy — the pattern. The way David gets when someone catches his interest. The way curiosity turns into testing. The way one human can become a whole chain of problems if no one pulls the line early.

You lean closer to Star, voice calm, casual. “We should go.”

She blinks. “What? Why?”

You don’t answer right away. You glance once toward the bikes at the edge of the boardwalk, already knowing David’s eyes will find Michael soon enough if this keeps going.

“Because,” you say lightly, “that’s exactly the kind of guy David notices.”

Star hesitates, following your gaze now. Her smile fades just a fraction. “He’s just watching.”

“Yeah,” you say. “That’s how it starts.”

The music surges again, crowd pressing in, Michael stepping closer without even realizing he’s doing it. You don’t wait for it to get any messier.

You take Star’s hand, squeezing once. “Come on. Let’s head back.”

She lets you pull her through the crowd, still laughing, still breathless — unaware of how close the night came to shifting course entirely. You don’t look back as you move away, but you feel it anyway.

Michael’s attention following you.

By the time you reach the bikes, the noise of the concert fades into the background. David looks up first, interest sharpening as he takes in the way you and Star returned early.

“That was quick,” he says.

You shrug, casual. “Crowd got boring.”

Dwayne studies your face, reading between the lines.

Marko grins. “That usually means you spotted something.”

You glance back toward the boardwalk once more. Michael is still there — but he’s not standing still anymore.He’s pushing through the thinning edge of the crowd now, eyes locked forward, confusion giving way to something more determined. Like he’s decided not to let the night end without answers.

“Yeah,” you say quietly. “Someone who didn’t need to be noticed.”

David’s smile curves, slow and knowing — like he understands exactly what kind of trouble that attention can become.

Marko snorts. “Uh. You might wanna look again.”

You turn just in time to see Michael step fully out of the crowd, heading in your direction now. Not running. Not hesitating. Just moving like he’s made up his mind.

Star stiffens beside you. “He’s coming over.”

Dwayne’s gaze flicks from Michael back to you, reading the situation instantly. “You clocked this early,” he murmurs. Not a question.

“Yeah,” you reply. “That’s why I wanted to leave.”

David watches Michael approach with open interest now, head tilting slightly as if he’s already filing the boy away as a possibility. “Looks like he’s curious.”

You don’t answer. You just meet David’s eyes, a silent reminder passing between you. You say it with your eyes. Behave and leave Michael alone. David just smirks.