Warning: Alludes to consensual sexual activity between older teens.

The boys yank their hands out of their jacket pockets when Cynthia storms by. The two Asian guys shrug and wave at me, like what can they do. The K-Pop one still messages me once in awhile. I forgot about him, like Cynthia will me.

The chiseled actor guy follows Cynthia too, but the Australian white guy stares between them and me. Before long, the Korean guy looks back. The Australian guy points at me and waves him off, as if someone's gotta stay with me and it may as well be him.

I stick my hands into my hair and let my fingers separate strands. I squeeze my skull. I don't remember his name, but the Australian guy gets close to my face. He has a Nordic nose and full lips. When he takes hold of my wrists, I let him pull down my hands. "You okay? Can I stay with you awhile?"

That makes me blink back tears. Because I'm sad about Cynthia and interested in the lean strong chest under his black T-shirt. I want to reach around and pull him in tight. Cynthia won't forgive and forget in the morning. She doesn't need an insecure dummy around. "If we don't talk about Cynthia," I say.

He lets go of one my wrists. His free hand slips into one of mine. His brown eyes are close to mine. His lips are close to my lips. "I promise. Let's talk about you."

I don't need to know if he has a girlfriend. I'm just glad he thinks for himself. We move to the bench and sit close to each other. His black eyelashes beg for a kiss, but I wait for him to make a move. He'll have to decide if I'm worth alienating Cynthia.

***

I rest my head on the boy's shoulder. He wraps his arm around me and pulls me close. I put my arm around him too and my hand under his shirt. My fingers rest on his abdomen and the hard muscles there.

We don't talk. Last time, he was quieter than the others, but he knew more about physics and the universe than me. I could shift my leg over his. I could slide onto his lap and put my mouth onto his. I don't know which sports he does, but getting to know him is better than the whole universe right now. And better than being friends with Cynthia.

"I want to touch you," he says.

I keep my face against his chest. "Okay," I whisper. When his fingers touch the skin on my back, I squirm.

But I hug him harder. Our lips don't touch, because the side of my face pushes his chest, and my arms squeeze his back.

"Do you remember my name?" he says into my hair.

He can't see my smile, but he might feel my mouth move against his T-shirt. He puts one hand, the one not supporting me, on my sweater. I open my eyes.

"Can I touch you some more?" he says.

This is how people get pregnant. It's really hard to stop. And it's hard to remember to breathe. "No, please don't."

Suddenly, it's easy to stop. It's easy to stop, because the hairs on my neck lift as if licked by a cool breeze. "Everything good?" he says.

I glance at the underside of his square jaw. Someone walking by may be watching us, that's all, except an image of that car in front of my house, of the moving darkness inside it, slams into me like cold water. I slide away. He pulls his hand away me, and I stand up. "Will you hate me if we stop?" I say.

"Yes." But there's nothing mean about his voice, and he smiles. He stays on the bench, and I slide my hand into the curly hair behind his ear. Over his head, I see a red Porsche on the street that abuts the open entrance of the park. The car isn't moving, and the street is too thin for another car to pass easily. Anyone inside can clearly see us.

Light from a lamp that illuminates part of the park reflects off the dark windshield. It's not an undulating darkness, and the red surface of the Porsche is as shiny as one on a sales lot.

I can't see into the black windows of the car, but something inside calls. Come here.

It.

The boy follows my eyes. "A pervert?"

"Let's find out," I say. He tilts his head at me, surprised, but gets off the bench and reaches for my hand. His strong grip and athletic frame add to my excitement.

After a couple of steps, he freezes. "Do you see anything in there?" For a moment, he smiles, but he doesn't start walking again. "I'm getting the creeps. Aren't you?"

I had the creeps, but they're gone. What bothers me is my desire to get into the car. It feels like my thought but isn't. "Can you get me out of here?" I say.

"Yeah." But neither of us moves. The inside of the car doesn't either - no roiling smoke, but I stare at it, expecting to see eyes, like a cat's, because the demon stares back. I feel it reaching out at me from inside there. It tugs at me. The boy shakes himself and makes a shield out of his hand. He puts it in front of my eyes. "Hey, you're being hypnotized or something." He turns my head and leans his face into mine. "I live over there. Let's get out of here."

"You live in my father's building?"

He laughs. "Yeah." He holds my head, so I can't see the Porsche. Our noses touch. "My mom will drive you home, whether you want me to go or not."

"Really? What's she like?"

"Like me, except older and my mom. Come on." He pulls on my hand. That lets me look another time at the Porsche. At the blackness behind the windshield. And I think it swirls now. "Makiko, come on. Let's run." He pulls me again, and that get's me going. We run through the park and across the plaza toward the heart of the Roppongi Hills development. He looks back, but I'm afraid I'll run toward the Porsche, so I don't. When we finally stop, we're surrounded by office workers and other adults crisscrossing between coffee shops, restaurants, and bars. "Wow," he says. "I'm really freaked out." He kisses me, and oh, his lips tingle and thrill, but then he stops. "Makiko, I hope you'll learn my name."

My hungry lips find his for a few more moments of bliss. Under my closed eyes, darkness swirls, as if I'm looking at the demon. For a second, it's like I'm kissing the demon.

Do you think Makiko will learn the boy's name?!

If the boy wasn't there, do you think the demon would show up? If the boy wasn't there, would Makiko get into the Porsche?

I hope you enjoy reading about Makiko. If so, a star would be great!