(State U Canteen — Rainy Evening)
"Bro, look at this."
Luis shoved his phone toward the table. A shaky video played: a dusty corridor, a single basketball bouncing by itself.
Half the team leaned in.
"Building C again," Noel said. "Told you it's haunted."
"Haunted by bad wifi," Tom Ramos muttered.
Laughter followed—until Coach Yssa passed by holding her merienda.
"You boys scared of shadows?" she asked. "Send the manager with you. She's scarier."
Mika Yamaguchi Alvarado looked up from her notes.
"Excuse me?"
"Investigation duty," Coach said. "Team morale."
Luis grinned. "Date with a ghost!"
"Group assignment," Mika corrected.
But by dinner, everyone else had "suddenly remembered homework."
Scene 1 — Building C, 9:14 p.m.
The campus was half-asleep.
Rain whispered against puddles, streetlights flickered pale.
Building C crouched at the edge of the quad—old Fine Arts wing, windows barred, paint flaking like sunburn.
Mika tightened her jacket. "We're staying five minutes."
Tom flicked on his phone flashlight. "That's four minutes longer than bravery requires."
The door creaked. Inside smelled of dust, wet paper, and forgotten trophies.
Their footsteps echoed in hollow rhythm.
"You ever wonder," Tom said, "why ghost rumors never start in accounting buildings?"
"Because accounting is already cursed."
He laughed. The sound bounced down the corridor and came back smaller.
Scene 2 — The Noise
Something clanged upstairs.
Mika froze. "Please tell me that was the wind."
"Sure," Tom whispered. "Wind with shoes."
They edged toward the staircase, beam shaking.
Halfway up, a cat shot past.
Both screamed, collided, and fell against the railing.
For a second she was pressed against him, heartbeat wild, breath fogging between them.
He steadied her, still laughing. "We make a great tactical unit."
"Shut up."
She meant it, but she was smiling.
Scene 3 — The Trophy Room
At the top floor: a hallway of dusty glass cases, basketball medals from decades ago.
A single ball hung from the ceiling by an old net, swaying in the draft.
Tom exhaled. "There's our ghost."
He pushed it gently; it thudded back, harmless.
"Maybe it's just lonely," Mika said.
He looked at her, half-teasing. "You talking about the ball or yourself?"
"Neither." She hesitated. "Both, maybe."
Silence. Rain dripped somewhere behind them.
She added, almost too quiet:
"My dad used to wait for me after class in a gym like this. Empty places don't scare me. They just… feel like someone's supposed to come back."
Tom's grin faded.
He didn't say anything, just stood beside her in the dim light.
The air between them felt different—less banter, more heartbeat.
Scene 4 — The Slip
They turned to leave.
The corridor lights flickered out again, plunging everything into black.
Mika grabbed his sleeve without thinking.
"Hey—"
"Don't move," she said, voice thin.
The flashlight sputtered back on.
Her hand stayed on his arm, firm, trembling slightly.
"You're shaking," he whispered.
"No," she said too fast.
Then, under her breath, barely a syllable:
"I just didn't want you gone again."
She didn't even realize she'd said it until he blinked.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Did you just—"
"Nothing, Ramos. Move."
He didn't push. Just smiled that quiet smile—the one that said he'd heard enough.
Scene 5 — Morning After
The next day, the rumor spread that Building C was "cleansed."
Luis posted a photo of Tom holding the basketball like a trophy.
The caption: Ghostbuster Couple 👻 #StateUTitans
Mika buried her face in her hands.
Tom only grinned. "Public service announcement achieved."
When the noise died down, she slipped him a folded sheet of paper—practice roster for the week.
He unfolded it later, found an extra line at the bottom:
Manager Rule #7:
Investigating ghosts is safer than feelings.
But only one of them keeps coming back.
He smiled, tucked it into his pocket,
and looked toward Building C, where a ball swung faintly in the breeze.
End of Episode 7 — "The Ghost in Building C."