Luca had been feeling lucky lately. He felt that things couldn’t be better. He had finally managed to integrate into the town’s group of misfits, one of the best among them. Carsium wasn’t a large town; many people knew every house and the stories of their inhabitants—their childhoods, their troubles—because when the town was small, gossip spread quickly from mouth to mouth until it reached everyone. The town was so small, yet enough friend groups had formed, often named after the most talked-about and boldest kid among them. Sometimes, the groups even gave themselves names, especially those where so many kids gathered that they fancied themselves gangsters. Their audacity grew, and they made their presence felt by scratching or painting their gang names on walls. But not everyone paid attention to their fantasies, especially the older residents. Luca had been part of such a group for a few weeks. He had become good friends with some boys in the gang, and they had let him join. He was lucky that he had been in class with them for years. However, he hadn’t had a good relationship with them before, as he had been a quiet and well-behaved boy who didn’t let himself be dragged down by bad company. That’s why he had often been bullied by his classmates until he gave in. He could no longer bear that life day after day. He was a sensitive child with many weaknesses known to others. The most terrible thing was the loss of his mother when he was very young. Luca couldn’t remember what had happened, and neither did the people in the town know the cause, but it was still a reason for the boys in his class to make fun of him. They still joked about it, though very rarely, and this time, Luca even began to laugh along with them because he no longer cared as much about what was happening around him or about his family. He rarely listened to his father, except for his brother. He still had a bit of respect for his brother because he had helped him many times and listened when Luca needed to talk to someone. He had a small amount of respect for him, but he didn’t always follow his advice, knowing it was better to act on his own initiative rather than someone else’s. That’s why he joined the gang without listening to his brother, adopting the lifestyle of his new friends, and now he felt much better than before.

When the sun began to set, Luca's phone started ringing from the bathroom, where he was. The boy jumped when he heard the ringtone and quickly hung up. He rejected the call and rushed out of the bathroom, leaving drops of water on the floor from his wet hair. When he locked himself in his room, his phone lit up again. Luca answered the call and whispered nervously.

"What do you want?"

A partially deep voice came through the phone.

"Where are you, bro?"

"I still need to do my hair; I’ll be there soon. Are you guys already there?"

"Not yet, but we’re on our way."

"I’m coming right away, save a chair for me!"

"I can’t promise anything; there are already about eight of us."

"Then make some room for me!"

"If you move faster, we’ll save you a spot."

"I’ll be there in a few minutes."

He hung up, threw his phone on the bed, and rushed back to the bathroom. He dried his hair, combed it, used some hairspray, and hurried outside. He ran as fast as he could to the town center and slipped down a small street where there was a club with a simple entrance and no doors leading to its terrace. The club was not very sophisticated but nice and cozy. The terrace was a bit narrow, but there was enough room for 5-6 tables. The floor was black tile, matching the dark gray fence and the overhead beams that held lights for the evening. At the end of the terrace were two joined tables where some of his friends were sitting. One of them spotted him and waved.

"Sorry, you’re too late! Grab a chair from another table and squeeze in here."

As Victor spoke, Luca looked at the kids surrounding the two tables. Two new people were at the table. It wouldn’t have bothered him so much if they had been boys like the others. What were these girls doing among them?

Luca sighed and sat between Victor and Narcis, facing those girls. He leaned toward the boy on his left and asked, "What are those girls doing at our table?"

Victor turned his head toward him and looked at Luca, puzzled.

"Ana is staying in Carsium for a few days. She moved to the motel here, and we came to visit her."

"Who is Ana?"

"Don’t you know who Ana is?"

The boy felt somewhat satisfied to be seen by the others as an old friend now, but in reality, he had no idea what had happened before in their friend group, especially since he hadn’t been very sociable and didn’t know many people. He stared at the curly-haired boy next to him, waiting for an answer.

"She’s an old friend who just graduated high school. She went to college in another city, but she’s coming back for the weekend. She’s Leo’s older sister."

"Yeah, she used to hang out with us sometimes," Narcis added.

"I see, but what about the other girls?"

"Is that so hard to understand? They’re her friends. Stop being a fool and join the conversation."

Luca rolled his eyes. He had no interest in the other girls; on the contrary, he wanted to make more friends and become more popular. What bothered him was that he hadn’t been informed they had guests... new for him, old for the others. If they had been boys, it wouldn’t have been such a big deal, but he felt a bit embarrassed because he hadn’t dressed up nicely. But there was no point in stressing about not looking great today, especially since his friends didn’t seem to have made much effort either. They all looked the same as usual.

Victor pulled out a pack of cigarettes, took one, and looked up at the others.

"Does anyone have a lighter?"

"…"

"…"

"Seriously, nine guys at the table and none of you has a lighter?"

"Come on, let’s go inside; maybe we can find a lighter."

"What won’t Dan do for a cigarette?" came the voice of a girl at the table, smiling at Dan.

The boy didn’t seem affected by her words. He shrugged indifferently and stood up from the table with Victor, and they went inside the club. At the same time, a waiter arrived with a tray holding nine small glasses, a bowl full of lime wedges, and two bottles of Jack Daniels.

"So, we have some business tonight..." Luca thought. He had never tried Jack Daniels in his life... In fact, he hadn’t tried much alcohol at all, except for wine a few times and the same beer he used to drink with the boys when they came to the club. The boys returned happily with lit cigarettes, and Dan shared the lighter with the others.

Victor sat back down and took a satisfied puff from his cigarette.

"Do you want one?" he asked Luca.

"No, thanks."

"Still? Man, you’ve been hanging out with us for months! When are you ever going to step out of your comfort zone and try something new?"

He had heard this a million times from that boy. These phrases were starting to annoy him, so he agreed this time just to please Victor. He took a cigarette from his friend’s pack, lit it, and took a puff. His eyelids closed as he started to cough out the smoke. He heard the laughter of the others around him.

"Be careful," Narcis said, leaning back in his chair, "that’s how it is at first, bro; you’ll choke."

Luca wasn’t too surprised by the cigarette. It wasn’t as good as he had expected, and he felt a strange sensation.

Everyone poured themselves some alcohol, clinked their glasses, and then took a gulp. Luca coughed again, this time tearing up a little. Victor offered him a slice of lime, which he bit into, then wiped his tears.

"Hard?"

"Shut up."