(State U Gym Annex — Saturday, 11:42 a.m.)
Rain drummed on the roof, but the smell inside was garlic, oil, and burnt ambition.
The Titans' "Cook for a Cause" fundraiser looked more like a group project gone feral.
Coach Yssa clapped once. "Whoever burns rice again—donates double!"
Mika Yamaguchi Alvarado scribbled notes on her clipboard, dodging smoke.
She'd organized permits, tables, even a playlist.
Still, chaos. Always chaos.
Tom Ramos leaned over a pan like a game show host. "Manager, look! Pancit with emotional depth."
"That's just undercooked."
"Artistic tension," he said, smiling.
She rolled her eyes, hiding a laugh.
Scene 1 — Lunch Rush
Customers trickled in—mostly classmates buying out of pity.
Mika darted between booths, adjusting prices, refilling condiments.
"Manager, the change box is gone!"
"It's on the cooler!"
"No, other cooler!"
She turned, nearly colliding with Tom, who was carrying a tray of turon.
The tray tilted; sugar and banana hit her shoulder.
"Sorry! Sorry—"
"Hot!" she hissed, shaking off caramel.
He froze, panicked. "You okay?"
"I'm fine. You're donating triple."
Their eyes met for half a second too long.
Someone yelled, "We're out of forks!"
The moment dissolved. Good. She didn't have time for hearts right now.
Scene 2 — Smoke Alarm
By mid-afternoon, the gym felt like a sauna.
Rain slammed the windows; electricity flickered.
Noel called from the fryer, "Manager! It's smoking!"
"Turn it off!"
"I did!"
"Then unplug—"
A pop. Then darkness. A red light blinked, and the alarm screamed.
"Everybody outside!" Mika shouted.
Players grabbed fire extinguishers, half the crowd filming on their phones.
Tom found her by the door, jacket over her head, guiding people out.
When she turned, he was still there, soaked.
"Why are you still here?"
"Figured I'd cover you."
"I can handle—"
"Yeah, but you don't have to, always."
She didn't know what to do with that sentence. Or the way he said it.
Scene 3 — Rain Break
Outside, they huddled under the covered walkway.
Steam lifted from their shirts; rain hissed off the pavement.
Coach Yssa was on the phone yelling, "Yes, yes, minor fire—fundraiser discount now!"
Tom wrung his sleeves out beside Mika.
"Successful event," he said.
"Disaster definition: fundraiser that fundraises smoke."
He laughed, then quieted. "Still—nice leadership."
"Don't mock me."
"Wasn't."
She looked up, and for once, he wasn't smiling.
Her chest tightened. Maybe it was the humidity. Or not.
Scene 4 — Slip
Noel jogged over, face red. "Manager! About earlier—uh, can we talk after—"
Tom cut in. "Not now, Noel."
"Why not?"
"Because she's tired, man. Look at her."
Noel blinked, hurt. "Okay." He walked away.
Mika turned to Tom. "What was that?"
"Nothing."
"It looked like something."
"Yeah, well—sometimes I say things I shouldn't."
He rubbed the burn on his wrist from earlier, hiding his expression.
She caught his arm before thinking. "That's from the fryer."
He nodded. "Guess caring's a bad habit."
Her hand lingered; he noticed.
And that was the slip—small, irreversible.
Scene 5 — Evening Clean-Up
Power came back. The fundraiser ended. The rain didn't.
Coach Yssa handed Mika a towel. "See? Fire, chaos, funds raised—college life."
Then she left, humming off-key.
Mika stayed to count cash. Tom appeared, hair still damp.
"You're still working?"
"Trying to look responsible."
He smiled faintly. "You already do."
She looked up, almost said thank you, but he was gone—just like that, walking out into the rain with his jacket over his head.
Scene 6 — Aftermath
Later, locking up, she found that same jacket on the bench.
In the pocket: a crumpled note, handwriting messy.
Stop pretending you don't care.
You're terrible at it.
She stared at it for a long time, then folded it into her clipboard.
Outside, thunder rolled again—closer this time, louder.
And for once, she didn't run for cover.
End of Episode 5 — "Half-Time Hearts (College Cut)"
(Next Episode: "After Practice." When silence starts to mean something.)