Sand Sea · Tomb Raider Notes · Conversa

Beijing in July is as hot as a steamer. Li Cu has his school uniform jacket tied around his waist, his T-shirt soaked with sweat across his back. He squats on the steps outside the school gate, an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth, squinting as he watches the boys playing ball on the playground. "Pear!" Su Wan slaps him on the back. "Did your old man beat you again last night?" Li Cu doesn't turn around; he takes the cigarette out of his mouth and snaps it in two. "Can you not be so annoying?" Su Wan sits down beside him and hands him a can of iced cola. Li Cu takes it and presses it against his face, gasping at the chill, but he doesn't open it right away. "Let's go, same old place," Yang Hao pops up from the other side, his backpack strap hanging off one shoulder. "My treat today, spicy hot pot." Li Cu cracks open the cola, the bubbles rising up. He takes a sip and lets out a burp. "Fine, it's not like there's any food at home anyway." The three of them saunter along the curb. The setting sun stretches their shadows long. Li Cu walks forward, stepping on his own shadow, when he suddenly stops and stares at the thin, long silhouette on the ground for a few seconds. "Pear?" Su Wan calls back to him. "Coming." He crushes the empty can, tosses it into the trash bin, and jogs a few steps to catch up.