Saturday, April 27 – Rooftop Party, Nightfall / Midtown Apartment
Laps, Chaos, and Softer Shadows
"I dare you," Emma read, voice calm and unreadable, "to sit in someone's lap."
The circle erupted.
"Pick Jay!" Tyler shouted immediately.
"Pick Yuki!" Noah added.
"Pick me," Sofia said, deadpan. "For the scandal."
Emma tilted her head, considering.
Then—smooth as ever—she walked over to Amaya, who blinked in surprise as Emma sat gently in her lap like it was the most normal thing in the world.
"Hope this is okay," Emma said casually.
Amaya nodded, a little stiff. "Um… yeah. You're lighter than you look."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Jay, watching from across the circle, wasn't sure why that threw him off.
Round Three Winding Down
Tyler picked a truth card.
"Who do you think is most likely to break someone's heart and not realize it?"
He winced.
"Can I say myself?"
"No," Sofia said instantly.
"Fine," he muttered. "Jay."
Jay blinked. "What?"
"Bro, you're charming, vague, emotionally confusing—like an anime lead who doesn't know he's in a romance plot."
Jay tried to argue, but Sofia nodded too. "He's not wrong."
Emma stayed quiet.
So did Amaya.
Jay didn't know what to say—because he didn't know if it was true.
Or if it already happened.
Game Ends, Night Begins
By the time the third round ended, people had shifted—some to blankets, some to the railing, some wandering toward the snack table.
Yuki and Luna sat close, quiet as usual. Miles and Noah argued over playlist rights.
Tyler lay flat on the deck with a hand over his face. "That game exposed me."
"You exposed yourself," Sofia muttered, sipping punch.
Emma stood, brushing her shorts, then walked toward the railing. Jay's eyes followed without meaning to.
After a moment, he stood too.
Rooftop Edge – Jay and Emma
The city lights spread below them like stars flipped upside down. Cool wind brushed Jay's jacket as he leaned beside her on the metal railing.
"You're quiet," Emma said, not looking at him.
"Trying to decide if I'm the anime lead or not."
She smiled faintly. "You are. But the annoying kind."
"Thanks."
They stood like that for a while.
Then she said, voice lower now, "That answer… earlier. About who understands you least."
Jay looked at her. "Yeah?"
"I don't think I get you either," she said. "Not really."
Jay hesitated. "Do you want to?"
Emma turned slightly. Her eyes met his—and for once, she didn't look analytical. Or sharp. Just… present.
"I'm not sure," she said honestly.
And for some reason, Jay liked that answer.
The Quiet Moment Breaks
"I'm going to grab something to drink," Emma said after a long pause.
She walked off.
Jay didn't move. Just leaned a little farther into the wind.
Footsteps behind him.
Soft.
He turned slightly as Amaya appeared beside him, holding two cans.
"Cider," she said. "Non-alcoholic. Just apple."
He took one, nodding. "Thanks."
They stood there in silence for a beat. Then she asked—
"You, okay?"
Jay glanced sideways. "You always ask that."
"I always mean it."
He let the silence sit a little longer before answering. "Yeah. Just thinking."
"About?"
He didn't answer.
Not because he was hiding anything.
He just… didn't know.
Group Fragmentation
The rooftop spread into small islands:
Noah and Miles trying to fix the speaker.
Yuki and Luna playing a quiet card game on a picnic blanket.
Sofia and Tyler in heated debate over who in class would survive a zombie apocalypse.
VII. Final Scene – Close Calls
Back inside the apartment, Emma stood in the kitchen refilling her cup.
She stared at the punch.
Then sighed.
"Idiot," she whispered. No one heard.
Back on the rooftop, Jay finally sat down again, eyes half on the stars.
Yuki looked up at him from her game. "You look like a background character at the end of an indie film."
"Thanks," he muttered.
"I didn't say it was a bad thing."
Tyler stood suddenly. "Okay! Before everyone falls asleep—we need one last game."
Sofia: "We already did three rounds."
Tyler grinned. "This one's different. No cards. Just… questions."
Jay raised a brow. "What kind of questions?"
Tyler's eyes sparkled. "The kind that mess you up."
Jay sighed.
This night wasn't over.
Not even close.