~~
"Fuck… I'm going to be in a lot of trouble when I get back, aren't I?" I muttered, staring down at my now-dead phone after getting chewed out by my assistant for a good half hour.
I kept walking down the empty street, sighing as I shoved the phone back into my pocket before looking back up.
"Well, future me can deal with that. For now... where the fuck am I?"
I scanned the area slowly, trying to figure out a way out of this dump. All I could see was garbage. The streets were cracked, dented in almost every single spot. Trash overflowed from bins, spilling onto the broken pavement.
"Jeez, this place is a total junkyard."
I couldn't imagine people actually living here—but I was quickly proven wrong. The more I walked, the more I saw. Families, both big and small, and even people on their own were digging through trash cans or rushing out of broken down houses with whatever supplies they could carry.
Not wanting to stick around any longer, I wandered through the cracked streets, trying to find somewhere—anywhere—to sit while I waited for my ride.
After a few blocks of dodging trash piles and loose pavement, a flicker of light caught my eye from around the corner. Curious as ever, I followed it. What I found stopped me in my tracks.
A tennis court.
In the middle of this dump.
"What the hell…" I muttered under my breath.
The chain-link fence surrounding it was rusted and sagging in spots, but the lights—somehow—still worked, casting a yellow glow over the cracked court. Gathered just outside the fence were a handful of old men, hunched over in old lawn chairs like they'd grown roots there. They were bundled in patchy jackets, faces carved by time and hardship, watching the court like it was the goddamn finals.
Having nothing better to do I walked towards wanting to see what was going on.
On one side of the court stood a man who looked like he'd crawled straight out of a storm drain. His clothes were more stain than fabric—grimy, frayed at the seams, practically hanging off him. A thick, wiry beard sprawled across his jaw like a nest, wild and untouched. But his bald head? Spotless. Shining.
On the other side was a kid. A kid who looked like he didn't belong in this dump, yet here he was. Pale skin, white hair, and the deepest gray eyes I'd ever seen. He didn't just look out of place—he felt out of place. Like he'd been dropped here from somewhere else entirely.
"Kid you can back out now, pay the 50, and go back to your mommy like a good little boy." The man said while bouncing the tennis ball and getting ready to serve. The kid didn't reply or show any emotion. All he did was stand there staring at the older man, reading him.
'What an interesting kid' Other than his looks, his lack of interest was what pulled me in, but when the game started I couldn't help but stare at the kid in shock.
The kid didn't respond. No words. No expression. He just stood there, staring at the man—reading him.
What an interesting kid.
His silence, his stillness—it pulled me in. But when the match started, I couldn't take my eyes off him.
The way he moved… it reminded me of my own playstyle, but with a twist. It wasn't obvious at first, but the more I watched, the more I saw it. Right before his racket made contact with the ball, he'd twist his wrist ever so slightly—just enough to change the ball's direction completely.
Subtle. Precise. Deadly.
..
"You don't belong in this place, kid… not one bit."
I stood there, eyes fixed on him as the game wound down, the final ball bouncing once—twice—before rolling to a stop at the edge of the cracked court.
He didn't even celebrate. Just turned and walked off like it was nothing after taking the money from the man. Like he hadn't just picked apart a grown man.
He's not supposed to be here.
Not in this forgotten corner of the city. Not surrounded by rusted fences, shattered glass, and lives worn thin. His skills… his presence… it didn't belong in this place. It deserved more.
I shoved my hands in my pockets, watching his back walk down the street.
"What a shame…" I muttered under my breath.
And for the first time in a long while, I actually meant it.