Apologies for any mistakes you might come across!
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The city of Rio glowed beneath a velvet night sky. Weird, right? From the open balcony of their hotel, Raven stared out, leaning against the railing, at the distant lights shimmering over the coastline. The laughter of tourists, the distant beat of samba, and the low hum of night life filled the air, yet, his world felt.. quiet.
Inside the shared room though, Devon was sprawled on his bed, headphones in, pencil in hand, sketching absently. Kaya sat on the floor between the beds—after she'd ranted about her self-absorbed diva roommate—sorting through her polaroids from the trip, her back leaning against the wall.
Raven hadn’t said much since dinner that day. He just sat out there, one foot resting on the balcony railing, eyes flickering from building to building like he was scanning for answers. Like there could be a pattern, an algorithm he could just set his eyes on and copy, and use it for every single aspect of his messed up life.
No, not messed up. More like—
“Your leg’s shaking again,” Devon said from his bed, not looking up.
Raven blinked and glanced down at his bouncing foot. He hadn’t even noticed. “Is it really?”
Devon just hummed in response, dragging his pencil across the page with slow, patient strokes.
Kaya peeked over at him through the door of the balcony—which was left ajar. “You good?” she asked gently.
He hesitated, glanced over, then nodded, a bit too fast. “Yeah. I’m just... thinking.”
Kaya tilted her head. “About the game?”
No. Not just that. “About.. everything,” he admitted. “The game. The scouts. The scholarship. My mom. Dad. The bills. The way my knees won’t stop trembling. Take your pick, I guess.”
Silence settled between them for a beat.
Devon finally looked up. “You know you don’t have to carry it all tonight, right?”
Says the guy drawing his demons on paper.
Raven couldn't help but snort, albeit quietly. “Then who will? You?”
Raven regretted saying that the moment it left his mouth. He didn't mean to poke the guy's sores, just..
Devon’s eyes didn’t flicker with anger, only sadness.. and something else. “No.. but we can stand next to you while you do, at least.”
Kaya rose and walked over, crouching beside him at the balcony. She leaned her head on his knee. “We believe in you, Raven. Even when you don’t.”
He blinked a few times, letting that sink in. Waiting for relief. It didn't come. It didn't help. At all. To him, having someone believe in him added to the pressure. It was better if they didn't. He knew what disappointment felt like.
He didn't tell them that though.
“You do know I’m scared, right?” he whispered the question into the air, knowing they'd hear. And if they didn't, well..
“We all are, dude,” Devon said, now standing in the doorway behind them. “But you’ve got something the rest of us don’t.”
Raven literally choked on a snort. How that was possible, he had no idea. “Oh? What’s that?”
Devon smiled faintly. “Guts that refuse to quit.”
Huh. Well.. okay.
Raven didn't know what to say to that, actually.
YOU ARE READING
‡† The Unseen †‡
General Fiction"Two boys. Two shadows. One chance to fix one another." _________________ "A friendship that goes beyond brotherhood. One that explains cries. And pain. And smiles. And silence." _________________ [Disclaimer: This is not a gay novel..] After deat...
