Chapter 3.2: The Concrete Lot

Chapter 3.2: The Concrete Lot

Late afternoon – April 1998

The concrete lot behind the school felt like a strange, transitional space at this hour. The sun wasn’t burning anymore; it just dimly lit the cracked asphalt, as if the light itself had grown tired after the long winter. The air still held the last of the afternoon warmth, but cooler shadows were already stretching along the walls. It was that time of day when the city slowed down, and you could hear your own thoughts a little more clearly.

Cayde had been circling on his board for a while. No tricks, no flashy moves-just rolling, turning with the momentum, then hitting the same arc all over again. The steady hum of the wheels gave the space a strange rhythm. Vexley sat on the edge of a nearby bench, elbows on his knees, quietly watching the vibration in Cayde’s movements. It looked like his friend was searching for something between the cracks in the concrete, something even he couldn’t quite name.

– One more lap and you’ll punch a hole in space-time – Vexley joked.

When the two girls appeared around the corner, Cayde instinctively slowed down. He didn’t stop completely, just started carving smaller circles, making it look accidental. Nova entered the space first. Her movements were loose but precise, her posture radiating a natural, effortless confidence. Roxy followed behind with wider gestures, as if she wanted to touch every surface that crossed her path.

– So, did everyone survive the last party? – Cayde asked when they got close enough.

Roxy flashed a grin, but her movements became noticeably smaller and more guarded as she realized they had an audience.

– Barely. You?

– Always – Cayde shrugged, popping his board up.

As he started talking, he stepped closer to her. It wasn’t a conscious move; it just happened that his voice wasn’t for the whole lot anymore-it was just for her. Roxy stiffened for a split second, then instinctively crossed her legs. It wasn’t a pose; her body just reacted faster than her head. Nova caught the movement immediately. Vexley’s gaze flickered to it, too. Cayde only felt the sudden shift in the air-the tension became something you could almost touch.

– So, what brings you guys around here? – he asked casually.

– Just walking. Checking out the local wildlife – Roxy shot back, drilling her eyes into Cayde’s.

Cayde laughed.

– Well, you’re in the right place then.

Meanwhile, Nova and Vexley stood facing each other. Not too close, but no longer strangers. Nova’s posture changed imperceptibly: her shoulders tightened slightly, her chin tilted a fraction higher. She was consciously raising the wall she always felt safe behind. There was no hostility in it, just a disciplined distance. And just to be sure, she added another layer to the wall.

– Hey – Vexley said.

– Hey – Nova replied.

Her voice was calm but razor-sharp, as if every syllable had been measured in advance.

A tiny pebble lay between them. Nova kicked it away by reflex, harder than she intended. The pebble skittered under the bench. Vexley stepped after it, leaned down, and picked it up. He spun it between his fingers for a moment, then looked at Nova.

– Do you always clear things out of your way that fast? – he asked. – Or was this a personal beef with this low-life, clearly malicious pebble?

A huge smile broke across his face at the end of the sentence. Not a calculated, “trying-to-impress” smile, but the kind of lighthearted ease that comes when someone is just comfortable in their own skin. Nova was caught off guard for a second by how natural he sounded. No pressure. No need to prove anything.

Just playfulness.

– I don’t usually “clear” anything – she finally said. The sentence landed awkwardly in the air, and Nova felt it immediately… something was off. That wasn’t how she wanted to say it. It was too serious, too defensive for something as small as a pebble. For a moment, even she was confused by her own response, as if the words had just slipped out before she could arrange them properly.

– I mean… I just don’t like having things under my feet – she added quickly, but that only made her feel like she was digging herself deeper into the strange, clunky embarrassment Vexley had triggered.

Vexley nodded and handed her the pebble. Nova hesitated for a heartbeat, then took it. Their fingers brushed briefly. Vexley was openly smiling at her now. Not pushy, just a bit incredulous, as if he were enjoying the sudden lightness he’d found.

– Okay, I’m relieved then – he said. – There’s hope for us yet.

Nova involuntarily raised an eyebrow. This guy… he’s joking, and what’s worse: he’s not trying. That was when Nova truly understood what bothered her about him. It wasn’t what he was doing; it was what he *wasn’t* doing. He didn’t have that familiar tension, that deliberate “approach” you could spot from a mile away.

This guy wasn’t playing games.

That’s what made him dangerous.

He wasn’t storming the wall.

The wall simply didn’t exist to him.

To Vexley, she was an open book, and he didn’t see any reason why he shouldn’t just start reading.

You can’t lock someone out if they don’t even see the door you’re trying to slam in their face.

Vexley looked away for a moment, as if he wasn’t sure where this sudden freedom had come from either. Usually, he overthought everything, weighed every option. But right now, he felt light. In a way he rarely did. Like the girl’s presence had dissolved some invisible knot inside him.

– Anyway… – he added over his shoulder. – This is a good spot. I mean… I don’t know… it’s easier to breathe here.

Nova let out a quiet breath.

So why was it getting so much harder for her?