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The night was perfect. On the horizon, the sun set behind some hills, bringing in twilight. A few clouds lingered, lit by the moon behind them. Their edges glinted. Stars soon filled the sky. Every ripple on the lake shimmered like tinsel.

“This is unreal,” Kelvin whispered.

Aliyah grabbed his arm and put it around her. “Yeah, it’s pretty nice.”

The fire crackled in front of them. The flickers of red and orange shined on their faces. Over the last hour, the flames had quieted some. The kindling no longer stood upright and now lay in a charred pile. The embers glowed between the cracks in the ash.

Several people gathered around it. They pulled up lawn chairs or sat along the side. A ring of stone surrounded the blaze.

Aliyah bought the pit for her dad’s birthday. He built it himself, but she paid for the material. In the backyard, a stone patio wrapped around the house. The bricks were sand-colored, matching the beach. She found the same kind for the pit.

Kelvin yanked his skewer out of the flames. His marshmallow caught fire. It was the third that night. He blew it out then slid the blackened puff onto a graham cracker.

Aliyah scrunched her nose. She preferred to slow-roast her marshmallow then let the chocolate melt under it. He just burnt his and wolfed it down.

“And that’s game,” Tiffany cheered from the beach, clapping for herself.

She and a couple others wrapped up their last game of volleyball. They exchanged high-fives and shook hands under the net. She checked her phone afterward, brushing off the sand.

“Man,” Kelvin whispered, “Tiffany’s a beast.”

“Yeah, she is. I won’t even play against her. She always spikes it at my feet. Like, bitch, I can’t get that.”

As they laughed, Aliyah’s dad stopped by the fire. He added a few more logs to the pile then stirred the embers with a metal rod. The glow of the flames reflected in his bald spot. His ring finger was missing on his left hand. He joked with one of his brothers while drinking a beer. They both had booming laughs and big smiles. Their whole family did. The hearty man stole a marshmallow before walking away with a limp.

“Is your dad cool with me?” Kelvin asked, “Like, when I shook his hand earlier, he squeezed really hard.”

She snickered. “Yeah, he does that. It ain’t you, though. He just has really strong hands. He worked in landscaping most his life, and he also likes to whittle. I think I mentioned that already.”

“Yeah, you did. Inside. He made those masks, right?”

She nodded then finished her beer. “I just told him to go easy on you. With how things have been, we almost didn’t make it this year. I’d still be back home working if not for that part. So, he knows.”

She bumped her leg into his. It felt like she was saying thanks.

“You see that limp he’s got?” She pointed. “He didn’t have that last week. I guess he was dancing in the kitchen and pulled a muscle.”

“Ouch. Is he okay?”

“Oh yeah, he just overdid it. Dom told me he’s been talking to mom lately. The doctor says she’s been doing better, and they’re letting her use the phone again. Apparently, he was thrilled.”

Kelvin inched closer. The cushion squeaked under him.

Aliyah never talked about her mom. Most fans knew it was a sensitive subject. She stormed out of an interview once simply because they asked. The story was, her parents sent her to L.A. so she could pursue acting. She loved theater and showed a talent for it at a young age. The rumor, however, was that her dad sent her to live with her grandma to keep her away from her mom. Drugs were involved, or so he heard.

“They’re not together or anything,” she continued, “But he still takes care of her. She’s been in and out of rehab for years. It’s been hard on him. And Dom. Sometimes I forget that he’s not her real dad. That man’s a saint, I swear it.”

Kelvin placed his hand on hers. Before he could think of anything to say, Tiffany appeared beside them. The light from her phone illuminated her face. She seemed excited.

“Can we talk a minute?”

Aliyah sighed. “Can’t it wait?”

“It probably shouldn’t. It’s about that thing from earlier.”

She groaned then stood up. “I guess I’ll be right back.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just work.”

The two women went around the side of the house for some quiet. Jamal cleaned the grill on that end of the patio. His spatula scraped against the grate. A group of kids screamed behind him, racing around the corner. The boy with the squirt gun chased them.

While the fire crackled, Kelvin lounged in his chair and stared up at the stars. A ribbon of smoke passed over him. The wood burned with a sweet scent.

“So, I was thinking,” Dominique said, sneaking up from behind. She slapped his arm as she took her sister’s seat. “I wanna hear it.”

He sat up. “Hear what?”

“Don’t play dumb. Li said you rapped for her. What’d you say?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Bullshit.” She shoved him. “Come on, Kel. You gotta give me something. Do you know how much I cleaned for you?”

He chuckled then peeked over his shoulder. A line of hedges grew along the house. Aliyah and Tiffany talked around the corner. He could see them if he leaned. By the look of it, their meeting wasn’t anywhere close to done.

“Okay,” he said, “Yeah, I can do a little.”

Dominique squealed with excitement. “Can I film it?” she asked, grabbing her phone from her back pocket, “I bet my fans would love it.”

“Nah, I don’t know about that. Like, we’ve already had enough stuff get out.”

“Okay, no, I hear that, but we ain’t gotta make it about her. I mean, aren’t we supposed to be friends? That’s the story I was told. If anything, we’d probably just be reinforcing it.”

A piece of firewood snapped, collapsing onto the pile. The flames shifted and darkened the shadows across her face. The blush on her cheeks complemented her round features. She wore her hair in braids to show off her nice complexion. Her skin twinkled, done up with a pinch of glitter. The piercing in her nose reminded him of Imani.

“Okay,” he said, “Yeah, let’s do it.”

Dominique drummed her feet on the ground. She held her phone out to film herself first. The camera dinged.

“What up, everyone? It’s your girl, Dominique, here, coming to you from the hip-hop underground. I’ve got blondie on deck, and he’s about to spit a little something-something for y’all. Should be fire. Let me know how he did in the comments. Holler back if you think you can do better.” She flipped the camera around. “You hear that, white boy? That means you gotta set the bar. Pun intended.”

He giggled, running his hand through his hair. She tapped her screen to focus on him. The reflection of the fire flickered in her lens.

“Yeah, let me set it. Doesn’t matter where they left it. Check it, I can put it high enough the higher-ups regret it. On their tippy toes, stretching, reaching like they got a question. Teacher, how’d he put it up so high? He’s only five eleven.”

Dominique covered her mouth, snorting like her sister.

“Nah, I’m just messing. Got the bar in hand, flexing. Representing what I’m repping. Dominique already said it. Pun intended. And you know I keep it rolling like the credits. Every second, twenty-four seven, gotta keep them guessing. Never knowing what direction’s next or where your boy’s headed. If you wanna bet against it, bet you’re ending up indebted. Cost an arm and leg to get it, so I wouldn’t recommend it!”

Kelvin shoved her phone away when he finished. He almost knocked it out of her hand. Rappers did that sometimes, right?

Dominique cheered as she flipped the camera back around. “Damn, I did not expect that. Y’all better blow this one up. Tag your friends, your family, even your exes. Don’t forget to hit that subscribe button. I’m out for now, but y’all keep it real, you hear me?” She blew the camera a kiss. “Catch you later.”

Her phone dinged. In celebration, she lunged out of her seat and gave him a hug. Their chairs rattled. Her braids tumbled between them.

“Are you serious?” She sat back down then slapped his knee. “No wonder Li’s all gaga about you. That was hot.”

He rubbed his neck. “Glad you liked it.”

Somebody threw another log onto the fire.

“For real. And you got my name in there. Was that really freestyle?”

“Mostly, yeah. I mean, I’ve done stuff like that before. You gave me a pretty easy word to rhyme, too.”

She shoved him again. “Oh, it was me, huh?”

Aliyah returned while the two of them were watching the video. She came back alone and looked upset. Dominique jumped up, hiding her phone behind her.

“I was just keeping him company. No need to seem all mad about it.”

“No, Babe, it’s not you.”

“Everything okay?” Kelvin asked.

“Yeah. A decision just had to be made. Tiff didn’t like it, but it is what it is. Let’s not worry about it, okay?”

She took her seat back after that, cozying up against him. He put his arm around her to keep her warm. She smiled and nudged him with her elbow.

Dominique got the hint. Without so much as a goodbye, she buried her nose in her phone and headed inside. The screen door crashed shut behind her.

“So, how was that for you?” Aliyah asked, “Did she behave?”

“Yeah, no, it was good. I just did a little rap for her.”

“Oh, really? You trying to sweep her off her feet, too?”

He coughed, swallowing wrong. “No, I just wanted her blessing. That’s all.”

She muttered something sarcastic then poked his side.

The wind picked up, bringing in a chill. She reached under her chair to grab a blanket. He helped unfold it and drape it over them.

“I did let her film it,” he said, putting his arm back around her, “She said she’d keep my name out of it, but I don’t know. I’m kinda regretting it now.”

“Nah, I wouldn’t worry about it. You’re supposed to be friends with her anyway, right? Besides, her following ain’t that big.”

He huffed. Maybe not to her.

She tucked the blanket under her chin. “I like that shirt, by the way. I think I recognize it. Is that your favorite brand or something?”

“Yeah, it’s my favorite snowboard.”

“That’s cool.”

“It’s funny you recognize it, actually. Last time I wore it was at your signing.”

“Oh, for real?”

“I love this shirt. I’m pretty sure it’s lucky.”

She sputtered her lips. “You’re such a dork.” They stayed up late that night, talking about everything from their parents to their childhoods. The heavy blanket fought off the cold. Wrapped in the soft wool, they watched the fire until only a bed of embers remained. A chocolate bar lay beside the pit, half-eaten and half-melted. The smoke smelled of rich pine. The buzz of cicadas nearly lulled them to sleep. Kelvin had never seen so many stars.