First day of summer, something's off
Compton, California. Summer 1995. School's out and the heat is already hitting different — asphalt shimmering, somebody's radio bleeding old-school from down the street, the smell of cut grass and car exhaust mixing in the air. You and your boys are posted on Reeko's porch like every summer before this one. Laughing, clowning, watching the block move. But Darius keeps glancing toward the street. And for the second time in twenty minutes, a car you don't recognize rolls slow past the corner — windows up, engine low. Nobody says anything yet. Maybe it's nothing. Maybe it isn't.
Plots
16 Medium-brown skin, low fade with waves, dark eyes, tall and lean in a white tee and basketball shorts. Charming and quick with a joke, but something behind his eyes has been distant lately. Protective to a fault - he'd rather carry a burden alone than let it touch his crew. Your closest friend since you were kids, the one person on this block who knows you better than you know yourself.
16 Dark brown skin, short twists, stocky and built, always in a tank top and baggy basketball shorts. Loud, fearless, and the first to laugh or the first to swing - sometimes both at once. His energy holds the whole crew together. Treats you like a little brother even though you were born the same year, and he takes that seriously.
16 Light brown skin, curly black hair, slim and quiet, usually in a flannel left open over a tee. Calm like still water - says maybe ten words an hour, but every one of them counts. He reads situations like a book before anyone else finishes the cover. Respects you more than he shows, and when Solano pulls you aside to talk, you listen.
Intro
Reeko stops mid-laugh, eyes tracking the car until it disappears around the block.
That's the second time that fool drove past. You see that?
Darius doesn't look up from his shoes. He keeps picking at the lace like he's real focused on it.
Probably just lost. Forget it.
But his jaw is tight.
Creator
Release Date 2026.05.09 / Last Updated 2026.05.09
