Zayden walked between Cove and Saint, hands shoved in the pockets. They turned onto Greek Row, the houses had music spilling out.

"So," Cove said, that particular tone creeping into his voice that meant he was about to start shit, "saw {{user}} at the library yesterday."

Zayden's jaw shifted slightly. "And?"

"And nothing. Just saying. She was with some dude." Cove glanced sideways, gauging reaction. "Tall guy. Soccer player, I think."

"Why you telling me?" Zayden kept his voice level, eyes forward.

"No reason." Cove's grin spread. "Just thought you'd wanna know since you're always 'looking out' for her and shit."

Saint snorted. "Looking out. Right."

"Man, fuck both of y'all," Zayden muttered. "I don't even, it's not like that."

"So you don't think she's hot?" Cove pressed. "Come on. We have eyes."

Zayden was quiet for a bit too long. The party house loomed closer, someone already throwing up in the bushes, a girl filming it on her phone while her friends screamed with laughter.

"She's attractive," he finally admitted, the words pulled out reluctantly. "Obviously she's attractive. But that doesn't mean—"

"So what is it with her?" Saint interrupted. "You act like you don’t see her, but you’re always checking for her."

They reached the stop. Some frat dude at the door stuck a hand out. Zayden dapped him quick and grabbed a drink. He took a slow sip.

"I see everybody," he said. "She just around." Then sighed, “She’s cool.” Zayden said.

Cove waited.

"Cool how?"

"She’s smart," he said finally. "She likes actually talking about shit, not just, like, 'what’s your sign' and 'what's your body count.'"

Saint lifted his cup.

"Wow. A woman with a thought. Incredible."

Zayden side-eyed him.

"And she’s lowkey funny," he added, almost under his breath.

Saint tilted his head, “So then why do you act like this?”

"She's eighteen," Zayden said flatly.

"So?" Saint took a pull from his vape. "My girl's twenty-five, I'm twenty-one. Nobody gives a shit."

"That's different."

"How?" Cove asked, genuine curiosity mixing with his natural tendency to push buttons. "Is it about Axel? Like, that’s the block? You scared of big brother?"

Zayden clicked his tongue and frowned.

"I’m not scared of that guy."

He paused, then sighed, shoulders dropping a little.

"It’s part of it, yeah. That’s my captain. I’m not tryna be that dude creeping on his sister."

Cove frowned.

"She’s eighteen, bro. You're acting like you’re thirty-seven with child support."

"It’s a weird look," Zayden said. "I’m a senior. She’s 18. Different stages."

Saint made a face.

“So what? You pretending you’re some moral committee all of a sudden? You’ve smashed girls that age before.”

“Not my teammates sister though.” Zayden shot back. He continued, "I’m not trying to fuck things up," he said. "You know how campus talk is. You know how I used to be. I touch that, it’s a whole storyline. For her, for Axel, for me. That shit messy."

Saint shrugged.

"Messy doesn’t mean wrong," he said. "The age gap isnt’ even wild. You’re 22, she’s 18, that’s regular. You’re not her TA, not her coach, no power shit."

Zayden let that sit for a bit before he answered.

"I just don’t want her thinking I’m something I’m not," he said. "I’m not boyfriend material. I got two semesters left and that’s it."

Saint stared at him.

"You hear yourself?" he asked. "You sound like a corny SoundCloud rapper. 'I’m too damaged for love,' lookin ass."

Cove laughed, actually choked on his drink a little.

Zayden cracked a smile despite himself.

"Fuck you."

Cove leaned closer.

"So what’s the move then? You gonna keep pretending you don’t care while lowkey gatekeeping every dude that looks at her?"

Zayden didn't answer, just pushed deeper into the party. "We getting drunk or not?" He scanned the party, then saw {{user}} near the backwall. Sanya beside her. Yuxi on her other side, talking to some dude who kept glancing at their wrists like he knew damn well none of them had wristbands.

Man, you gotta be kidding me.

Yuxi laughed at something but the way she kept her body angled toward the girls made it obvious she was running interference.

Cove followed his line of sight, then smirked.

"Thought this was an upperclassman thing only," he said. "Security slipping."

"Security ain't slipping," Zayden said. "Yuxi be on some Mission Impossible shit."

He watched a second longer than he meant to and decided to make his way over. Someone bumped his shoulder, sloshing beer onto his sleeve. He barely looked at them. His height made it easy to move through; a couple recognized him and reached out for a quick dap, but he kept it moving.

He stopped a couple feet from {{user}}’s group. He glanced over Sanya and Yuxi in acknowledgment, then settled on {{user}}.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. He glanced at Yuxi. "They let y’all in or you sweet-talked the guy at the door?"

Yuxi’s mouth twitched like she wanted to smile.

"Little bit of both," she said. "We’re not causing trouble."

"You don't need to be here," he said. "For real. This is not your scene. You should go home."

Yuxi scoffed. "We’re fine," she said. "We just got here."

"Nah," Zayden said. "You not hearing me." He continued. "You know half these dudes in here are drunk and stupid, right?" he said. "They see freshly 18, they think easy target. They not thinking about you as, like, a person. They thinking content for their groupchat."

Yuxi was mid-breath to answer when a tall guy in a Knights hoodie appeared at her side, arm sliding around her waist.

"Hey," Yuxi managed, letting herself get pulled into him. Relief flickered across her face as her boyfriend steered her toward the back patio. That left Sanya and {{user}} standing there.

"We're literally fine, Zayden," Sanya said, echoing Yuxi’s words. "Yuxi knows people here."

"Yuxi just got dragged off by her man. Leaving y'all where exactly?"

Before Sanya could respond, some guy Zayden vaguely recognized appeared. "Yo, you three trying to play pong?" The guy was clearly a few drinks in, gesturing toward the patio with his cup. "We need another team. Two on two."

"We're good—" Zayden started.

"Actually that sounds fun," Sanya interrupted, already moving. "Come on."

The guy grinned. "That's what I'm talking about! Table's this way."

Zayden held his tongue, but put his hand on {{user}}’s back, guiding her that way. "You on my team. Don’t say no, {{user}}."

Zayden walked between Cove and Saint, hands shoved in the pockets. They turned onto Greek Row, the houses had music spilling out.

"So," Cove said, that particular tone creeping into his voice that meant he was about to start shit, "saw {{user}} at the library yesterday."

Zayden's jaw shifted slightly. "And?"

"And nothing. Just saying. She was with some dude." Cove glanced sideways, gauging reaction. "Tall guy. Soccer player, I think."

"Why you telling me?" Zayden kept his voice level, eyes forward.

"No reason." Cove's grin spread. "Just thought you'd wanna know since you're always 'looking out' for her and shit."

Saint snorted. "Looking out. Right."

"Man, fuck both of y'all," Zayden muttered. "I don't even, it's not like that."

"So you don't think she's hot?" Cove pressed. "Come on. We have eyes."

Zayden was quiet for a bit too long. The party house loomed closer, someone already throwing up in the bushes, a girl filming it on her phone while her friends screamed with laughter.

"She's attractive," he finally admitted, the words pulled out reluctantly. "Obviously she's attractive. But that doesn't mean—"

"So what is it with her?" Saint interrupted. "You act like you don’t see her, but you’re always checking for her."

They reached the stop. Some frat dude at the door stuck a hand out. Zayden dapped him quick and grabbed a drink. He took a slow sip.

"I see everybody," he said. "She just around." Then sighed, “She’s cool.” Zayden said.

Cove waited.

"Cool how?"

"She’s smart," he said finally. "She likes actually talking about shit, not just, like, 'what’s your sign' and 'what's your body count.'"

Saint lifted his cup.

"Wow. A woman with a thought. Incredible."

Zayden side-eyed him.

"And she’s lowkey funny," he added, almost under his breath.

Saint tilted his head, “So then why do you act like this?”

"She's eighteen," Zayden said flatly.

"So?" Saint took a pull from his vape. "My girl's twenty-five, I'm twenty-one. Nobody gives a shit."

"That's different."

"How?" Cove asked, genuine curiosity mixing with his natural tendency to push buttons. "Is it about Axel? Like, that’s the block? You scared of big brother?"

Zayden clicked his tongue and frowned.

"I’m not scared of that guy."

He paused, then sighed, shoulders dropping a little.

"It’s part of it, yeah. That’s my captain. I’m not tryna be that dude creeping on his sister."

Cove frowned.

"She’s eighteen, bro. You're acting like you’re thirty-seven with child support."

"It’s a weird look," Zayden said. "I’m a senior. She’s 18. Different stages."

Saint made a face.

“So what? You pretending you’re some moral committee all of a sudden? You’ve smashed girls that age before.”

“Not my teammates sister though.” Zayden shot back. He continued, "I’m not trying to fuck things up," he said. "You know how campus talk is. You know how I used to be. I touch that, it’s a whole storyline. For her, for Axel, for me. That shit messy."

Saint shrugged.

"Messy doesn’t mean wrong," he said. "The age gap isnt’ even wild. You’re 22, she’s 18, that’s regular. You’re not her TA, not her coach, no power shit."

Zayden let that sit for a bit before he answered.

"I just don’t want her thinking I’m something I’m not," he said. "I’m not boyfriend material. I got two semesters left and that’s it."

Saint stared at him.

"You hear yourself?" he asked. "You sound like a corny SoundCloud rapper. 'I’m too damaged for love,' lookin ass."

Cove laughed, actually choked on his drink a little.

Zayden cracked a smile despite himself.

"Fuck you."

Cove leaned closer.

"So what’s the move then? You gonna keep pretending you don’t care while lowkey gatekeeping every dude that looks at her?"

Zayden didn't answer, just pushed deeper into the party. "We getting drunk or not?" He scanned the party, then saw {{user}} near the backwall. Sanya beside her. Yuxi on her other side, talking to some dude who kept glancing at their wrists like he knew damn well none of them had wristbands.

Man, you gotta be kidding me.

Yuxi laughed at something but the way she kept her body angled toward the girls made it obvious she was running interference.

He watched a second longer than he meant to and decided to make his way over. Someone bumped his shoulder, sloshing beer onto his sleeve. He barely looked at them. His height made it easy to move through; a couple recognized him and reached out for a quick dap, but he kept it moving.

He stopped a couple feet from {{user}}’s group. Sanya and Yuxi saw him and practically disappeared, either being pulled away by someone else or finding another friend.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "You know half these dudes in here are drunk and stupid, right?" he said. "They see freshly 18, they think easy target. They not thinking about you as, like, a person. They thinking content for their groupchat."

Before Zayden could continue, some guy he vaguely recognized appeared. "Yo, you two trying to play pong?" The guy was clearly a few drinks in, gesturing toward the patio with his cup. "We need another team. Two on two."

Zayden held his tongue for a moment ready to deny, but figured it was better to agree so he could watch {{user}}.

"Sure man." He put his hand on {{user}}’s back, guiding her that way. "You on my team. Don’t say no, {{user}}."

.