Saturday mornings had a routine all their own. Ridgewood's downtown district, just a ten-minute walk from the school, buzzed with a mix of sleepy locals and students pretending they weren't stressing about college applications. But for Amaya and Yasmine, it was their little bubble.
Cuppa Raven's corner booth by the window had unofficially become theirs.
"You ever wonder if we're wasting our youth?" Amaya said, stirring her vanilla latte. "Like, we should be out doing something wild. Breaking rules. Falling in love with bad decisions."
Yasmine, sipping black coffee without cream or sugar, tilted her head. "And instead, you're sitting in a café with me."
Amaya grinned. "Exactly. The lamest rebel arc of all time."
Outside, the wind blew fallen leaves along the sidewalk, their dance quiet and chaotic. Inside, Amaya talked—about how her mom was pressuring her to apply to Ivy Leagues, about how Kai had barely texted her that week, about how school felt like a prison of fake smiles.
Yasmine listened, pencil gliding across her sketchpad. No words, no interruptions. Just the scratch of graphite and the occasional sip of coffee.
"I think he's cheating on me," Amaya said suddenly.
The pencil paused.
"With who?"
Amaya shrugged. "No idea. Maybe no one. Maybe just... with the idea of not having me anymore."
Silence lingered between them.
"You're easy to like," Yasmine finally said, eyes on her sketch. "He's an idiot if he's drifting."
Amaya blinked, caught off-guard by the compliment. "That... might be the nicest thing anyone's said to me this month."
"It's just the truth."
Amaya felt her heart stir—not because she liked being complimented, but because it was Yasmine. Her quiet, boyish, unreadable Yasmine who rarely said anything at all.
Sunday – The Riverwalk Park
"Bet you've never been here," Amaya said, dragging Yasmine along the cracked walking trail. The river was slow and brown, its surface glinting under the morning sun. The trees were just beginning to turn orange and gold.
"I don't usually come to places like this," Yasmine admitted.
"Well, today you do." Amaya flopped onto the grass, arms spread. "Lay down. C'mon."
Yasmine hesitated, then sat beside her—stiff at first, but eventually reclined against the slope. Their shoulders brushed lightly. Neither pulled away.
"I used to come here with Kai. But he's more of a talk-about-sports kind of guy. You know what I mean?"
Yasmine nodded. "Surface-level."
"Yeah. Like... sometimes I wonder if he's even in the same world as me."
Amaya plucked a blade of grass, rolling it between her fingers.
"You feel like you're in a different world than most people, Yasmine?"
A pause. "Every day."
Amaya turned her head, studying her.
"Where are you really from?"
Yasmine's eyes stayed on the sky. "Far away."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one I've got."
"Okay, secret agent," Amaya said, nudging her. "Keep your mystery. Just know—whatever world you're from, I think I like it."
Yasmine didn't reply, but she let her eyes close. For a moment, the silence between them wasn't empty. It was warm. Safe.
Yasmine's POV – Observation Log
Subject: Kai Donner
Spotted leaving school at 6:45 PM on ThursdayRoute: Gym → Locker Room → Parking LotAloneVulnerable point: West gate exit, minimal foot trafficAttempt failed due to Amaya Rivera intercepting
Yasmine reviewed her notes with steady hands. Each line was written with cold precision. But her thoughts kept drifting.
She remembered Amaya's laughter by the river. The way her curls caught the light. The sound of her breath when she yawned and stretched and let her guard down completely.
She was starting to invade the edges of the mission.
Monday – Hallway Whispers
"Did you see them at the café again?"
"I heard she's obsessed with the new girl."
"They say Kai's been flirting with that art chick too."
"Crazy love triangle incoming."
Amaya slammed her locker shut harder than necessary. The hallway buzzed with rumors, and her name had started appearing in all the wrong places. Normally, she wouldn't care. But this time, it cut deeper.
Because she wasn't sure it wasn't true.
She made her way to the art club after school, ignoring Kai's half-hearted wave from down the hall.
Art Club – After School
"You sketching me again?" Amaya asked with a teasing smile as she walked in.
Yasmine looked up. There was no sketch in front of her—just a blank page.
"I wasn't sketching anything."
"Liar. You've got that look."
"What look?"
Amaya walked over and sat beside her, close. "That look like you're seeing something no one else can."
Yasmine turned her gaze to her, and for a second, their faces were barely inches apart.
"I see everything," she whispered.
Amaya's breath hitched.
"You ever kiss someone you're not supposed to?" she asked.
Yasmine's eyes didn't waver. "No."
"Me neither." Amaya's smile faltered. "But I think I'm getting close."
Neither of them moved. Neither spoke.
Then the door creaked open, and a janitor peeked in. "You girls still in here?"
The spell broke. Amaya stood up too fast, grabbing her bag.
"Gotta go. My mom'll kill me if I'm late again."
Yasmine stayed in her seat, watching her go. In her hand, she finally let the pencil move.
The sketch took shape quickly—Amaya mid-laugh, head tilted slightly, eyes bright.
She didn't crumple this one.
Kai's POV – The Shift
Kai noticed things.
He noticed that Amaya was distracted. That she smiled less when he touched her. That her texts had grown shorter, like they were obligatory.
He also noticed the way Yasmine looked at him sometimes—not flirty, not warm. Calculated.
He couldn't prove anything. But something wasn't right.
That girl gave him chills.
That Night – Yasmine's Apartment
The burner phone vibrated on the desk.
You have 11 days.
Yasmine stared at the countdown. Her mission was clear.
Eliminate Kai Donner. No witnesses. No complications.
And yet, every time she closed her eyes, she saw Amaya smiling in the park. Laughing in the café. Whispering in the silence of the art room.
It was becoming a problem.
She opened her sketchbook. On the newest page was the most detailed portrait she'd ever drawn.
Amaya Rivera. Unfinished. Her eyes empty.
Yasmine placed her pencil down.
It would have to end soon.