Alex sat on the edge of his bed, one leg was swinging lazily while the other was tucked under. His notebook lay open beside him, filled with notes scribbled halfway through the week. Notes about pricing, urgency, persuasion, and oddly, how to judge a customer's mood by the way they touch tomatoes.
He chuckled.
Spending the week with Raymond had been... interesting. Way more than he expected. He thought he'd just be shadowing him, maybe learning how to pitch or something. But instead, Raymond had taken him deep, like deep into the market.
Literally.
Alex had learned more in five days than he had in months of YouTube tutorials, both from standing in open stalls with paper and pen and watching Raymond close three sales in under five minutes. This he did while joking and hustling like it was the most natural thing in the world
Still, it had been a week. His feet hurt. His clothes smelled permanently like crayfish. And he wasn't sure if the lady who kept calling him "small fine boy" was flirting or trying to sell him something.
Just then, Emma poked her head into the room.
"Yo, Mr. Entrepreneur," she said while leaning on the doorframe with a smirk. "You gonna tell me what all this Raymond business is about or what? Are you being paid or are you just his personal market escort?"
Alex rolled his eyes and laughed. "Market escort you say, I do those market surveys alone. But seriously, at this point, I feel like I should be the one paying him. I've learned more about life this week than in my entire life."
Emma laughed and walked in. She lay on the other end of the bed. "So basically, you're in a mentorship-slash-manual labor situation. Good to know."
"Character building," Alex said and raised a brow while smiling. "Also, you wouldn't believe how many deals go down over vegetables. It's wild."
They were still laughing when Sarah walked in, looking distracted.
"What are you two laughing about?" she asked as she pulled off her scarf and tossed her bag on the chair.
Emma and Alex glanced at each other, still grinning.
"We were just talking about Alex's internship at the local market," Emma said.
"Oh," Sarah replied flatly, clearly not in the mood.
Alex's smile faded. "You okay?"
She hesitated, her fingers tugging lightly at the strap of her bag.
"It's Elliot," she finally said, not looking up. "He showed up in front of my school again today. Talking nonsense."
Alex's brow furrowed. "What kind of nonsense?"
Sarah sighed. "About you. About what you're doing. About all of us, really. Just loud, irritating stuff. Trying to get attention, maybe."
Emma sat up straighter, eyes narrowing. "What did he say exactly?"
"Just stupid things. Calling it a scam, saying you're wasting your time, making fun of the whole thing you're doing. I walked away, but... it was embarrassing. People were looking."
There was a pause.
Then Alex said quietly, "Thanks for telling me."
Sarah gave a small nod. "Just… thought you should know."
No one said anything for a second. Then Emma broke the silence, trying to lighten the mood.
"Well... at least he didn't show up at the market. I don't think he'd survive two minutes with Mrs hart."
They all chuckled, but the mood hung a little heavier now.
Still, Alex looked at both of them and felt something solid beneath the tension. Loyalty.
This thing he was doing might seem strange to people. Even stupid to some.
But not to them.
Not really.
He said, "So Elliot wants my attention? Well, he's got it then"
Alex's heart pounded as he stormed out the gate, ignoring Emma and Sarah's voices behind him.
"Alex, wait!"
"Please don't go after him like this!"
But he didn't stop. Not this time. He couldn't. Not after what Sarah just said. He needed to find Elliot. Now.
"..."
His feet moved on their own with his muscle memory guiding him down the familiar paths, past the kiosk, around the bend near the church, and into the clearing behind the old community center, the playground they used to frequent as kids.
Swings squeaking in the wind. Faded monkey bars. Dusty slides. Nothing had really changed… except them.
And there he was, Elliot. Sitting at the top of the old jungle gym like a ghost from the past, chewing something, watching the world without blinking.
Alex slowed with a heavy breath.
"I should've known I'd find you here," he said, stepping closer.
Elliot didn't move. "Of course. That's why I came here. I knew you'd come."
Alex opened his mouth to demand answers, but Elliot cut in first.
"You ever wonder why I've kept my distance all these years?"
Alex opened his mouth, but the question caught him off guard. He frowned. "What does that have to do with…"
"It's her," Elliot said, eyes fixed on the swing set. "Sarah."
That caught Alex off guard. "Sarah?"
Elliot nodded slowly, still not looking at him. "I've had feelings for her since we were kids. You probably must've known about that."
There was a strange quiet in his voice.
"But she only ever had eyes for you."
Alex shifted uncomfortably. "That's not…"
"It is," Elliot cut in. "You just don't see it. You never do. But the way she listens to you? The way she looks at you like you matter… like you're the only one who ever made sense…"
He finally turned to face Alex, his expression unreadable.
"I stayed away because I was protecting her. But seeing her wrapped up in all of this now? Watching you pull her closer to something you don't even understand?"
Elliot hopped down from the jungle gym, landing with a soft thud.
"That's why I showed up today."
Alex's guard was up again. "To talk about feelings from ten years ago?"
"No," Elliot said, stepping closer. "To warn you."
Alex narrowed his eyes. "Warn me about what?"
Elliot's gaze darkened more.
"To tell you to stop. Whatever you think you're doing, the notes, the mentorship, the market stuff, it's bigger than you. Bigger than all of us. And if you keep going, you're not just putting yourself at risk. You're dragging Sarah and Emma into it too."
Alex stared, unsure if he wanted to laugh or punch something. "You're being ridiculous."
Elliot raised a brow. "Am I? You think it's just about learning how to sell vegetables and read people? That's where it starts. Then the notebooks come. The questions. The patterns. And soon… the system notices."
"The system?"
"They always notice the ones who don't blend in. The ones who observe. Write. Push. Question." He took another step forward, voice low. "You think this mentor found you by accident?"
Then Elliot looked straight into his eyes. "You can say I'm a bad influence, Alex. You can say I'm already lost. Actually, that's why I make sure to stay away. But you… you're still close. Still loved. Still trusted."
Alex's mouth went dry.
"If you care about Sarah," Elliot continued, "if you really want to protect Emma… then stop. Don't meet whoever's putting you up to this. Don't write. Don't ask. Don't go deeper."
Alex clenched his fists. "You're not making sense."
"I am," Elliot said quietly. "You're just not ready to believe it yet."
Alex swallowed hard. "Raymond is just…"
"Oh, that's his name, Raymond? And he's just what?" Elliot snapped. "A nice mentor who happens to know every trader in the city? Who somehow noticed you out of nowhere and decided to teach you the secrets of persuasion?"
He stepped forward, his voice low but intense.
"They're always watching. Always. The moment you start disrupting their current, they notice. And you? You've started making your movements."
Alex shook his head. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because unlike some, you still have a way out."
Then, without waiting for a reply, he turned, hands buried in his pockets, and started walking away.
Alex took a step forward, confused, then angry.
"Wait, no," he called after him. "We're not done here, Elliot! I don't understand anything you just said!"
Elliot didn't turn.
Alex shouted with his voice echoing off the empty metal of the jungle gym. "Tell me what this is really about!"
But Elliot kept walking, slow and deliberate, like someone who'd said all he could afford to say.
Alex stood frozen with his clenched fists, and pounding heart.
He wasn't sure if he felt angry, confused, or afraid.
Maybe all three.