Patterns
876 Words
Recces pov
I learned a long time ago that nothing just “happens” in Holloway park
Everything has a reason.
Everything has a cost.
That’s why I noticed the car.
It had been sitting across from the corner store longer than it should’ve ,the engine off, lights out, just far enough away to look like it was supposed to be there. Most people wouldn’t think twice. Around here, you learn not to look too closely.
I’ve never been good at that.
I leaned against the brick wall, arms loose, trying not to make it obvious I was watching. The street moved like it always did , people talking too loud, music drifting out of open windows, someone arguing somewhere down the block but there was something underneath it. Something off.
Then she walked out of the store.
Cara.
I attempted to make myself look better as she walked pass
She had a small bag in her hand, eyes down like she was trying not to take up space. She always moved like that. Careful. Quiet. Like she understood something most people didn’t ,noticing came with consequences.
I’d seen her before we ever spoke. Same block, same routine. Always around Tiffany. Always watching.
But lately, something had changed.
She looked distracted.
Her eyes quickly moved down the street for a second ,toward the car then she forced herself to keep walking like it didn’t matter.
It mattered.
I pushed myself off the wall and crossed the street, timing it so it didn’t look like I was going straight to her.
“Hey.”
She stopped.
For a second, she looked like she didn’t recognize me. Like her mind was somewhere else entirely. Then she blinked, and something in her expression softened.
“Hey Reece.”
Up close, it was clearer. The tension. The way her shoulders stayed slightly raised, like she was bracing for something she couldn’t see yet.
“You okay?” I asked.
She nodded fast. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
I didn’t push it and I couldn’t force her to express herself to me,I really wish she would though.
“Store’s getting worse,” I said instead, glancing back over my shoulder. “They overcharge now.”
A small smile showed up it was barely there, but real.
“Yeah,” she said. “I noticed.”
For a second, it felt normal.
The tension was lowered.
I walked beside her as she headed down the block. Not too close. Not far enough to leave her on her own.
I didn’t ask if she wanted me there.
If she didn’t, she would’ve said something.
“You shouldn’t be out alone this late,” I said after a while.
Her expression quickly turned into irritation . “I’m not a kid.”
“I didn’t say you were.”
She didn’t answer that.
We walked in silence for a bit. I could feel it ,the distance she was putting up, even with me right there.
Something had shifted.
“Did something happen?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No.”
Too fast again.
I looked ahead instead of at her. Pushing wouldn’t help.
“Just be careful,” I said. “People around here notice things.”
Her steps slowed, just a little.
“I can handle myself,” she said.
“I know.”
That made her look at me.
Not defensive this time. Just… trying to figure something out.
I held her gaze for a second, then looked away first. Not because I had to. Because I wanted her to know I wasn’t trying to corner her.
“I’m just saying,” I added, quieter now, “if something feels off… it usually is.”
She didn’t respond.
But she didn’t argue either.
We reached the corner near her building. The light above us flickered, cutting shadows across the pavement.
I stopped walking.
“This is you,” I said.
She nodded, adjusting her grip on the bag.
There was a pause. Longer than it needed to be.
“If you ever need anything…” I started, then hesitated. “You can come find me.”
I didn’t ask for anything back.
I wouldn’t.
She looked at me like she didn’t know what to do with that.
“Okay,” she said finally.
I nodded once.
She turned and walked toward the building. I stayed where I was until she got inside, until I knew she was out of sight.
Only then did I look back across the street.
The car was gone.
That didn’t make me feel better.
I ran a hand over the back of my neck, jaw tightening.
I’ve spent my whole life staying out of things that don’t concern me.
Keep your head down.
Mind your business.
Stay out of trouble.
It’s how you survive here.
It’s worked.
Until now.
I looked back at her building, the lights in the windows flickering the same way they always did.
Something wasn’t right.
I could feel it.
And if she was getting pulled into something she didn’t understand
I exhaled slowly.
For the first time in a long time, staying out of it didn’t feel like the safer choice.
I can’t stay out of it
Not this time.
- Writer
