Instagram Investigation

Kai's thumb hovered over the follow button for the third time that night. Total spy behavior, but whatever. Jordan Rivera had posted three new stories since lunch, and Kai had zeroed in on every single one like a forensic analyst. The last story showed Jordan at the skating rink—the same rink where Kai's friend group was definitely NOT supposed to be tonight.

"Bro, you've been running laps around this decision for twenty minutes," said Sam, flopping onto the beanbag beside Kai. "Just shoot your shot or move on. This whole situation is giving second-hand embarrassment."

Kai locked the phone and shoved it into their pocket. "I'm not even gonna stress. Jordan's probably not even there anymore."

"You literally just watched them post a story from the parking lot three minutes ago. The math is not mathing."

Outside, lightning cracked the sky in half—dramatic timing on levels. The storm had been threatening all afternoon, and now it was finally making good on those promises. Rain started drumming against the windows like nervous fingers on a desk.

"Okay, here's the play," Kai said, standing up with newfound resolve. "We show up. We're casual. We're not desperate. If Jordan's there, cool. If not, we skate. Either way, I'm not spending another Friday overthinking it."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Bold of you to assume you can even skate."

The rink was predictably packed—Friday night energy in full effect. Kai spotted Jordan almost immediately by the arcade machines, laughing with some friends. That moment where their eyes met across the room hit like actual lightning. Time did that weird slow-motion thing where everything became crystal clear and kind of terrifying at the same time.

Jordan waved.

Kai waved back, probably way too enthusiastically.

"Smooth," Sam muttered from behind.

Jordan skated over, navigating the crowded floor like it was nothing. "Hey! I didn't know you were coming tonight."

"Yeah, just decided to, you know..." Kai's brain was currently running a marathon at full sprint. "Show up."

"I'm glad." Jordan smiled, and Kai felt their palms get weirdly sweaty. "Wanna skate? I can teach you if you don't know how."

Sam made a face behind Jordan's back that said exactly what Kai was thinking—this was actually happening.

"Yeah," Kai said, trying to play it cool despite the heart currently doing gymnastics. "That sounds legit."

As they laced up their skates, Kai caught Sam's eye and mouthed thank you. The night was just beginning, and for the first time in forever, the overthinking had taken a back seat to just showing up and seeing what happened.

Sometimes the scary decisions are the ones worth making.