Ray

Evening. My home.

The living room smelled of expensive perfume, popcorn, and a lighthearted air. Fruit, juice, and pizza were on the table. I set out the glasses. Leia twirled in front of the mirror, adjusting her blonde locks, and kept glancing at Alex. He sat in a chair with a serious expression, but kept watching her out of the corner of his eye. Leo lounged on the sofa, grinning lazily and preparing another jab at me.

Only two were missing.

"Where are those two idiots?" Leo muttered.

"They said they were already nearby," I replied, but frowned. Usually Ray and Jack burst in loudly, but today they were lingering suspiciously quietly.

Voices came from the hallway. I became wary. Leia took a step closer to the door. Alex lowered his phone. Even Leo stopped chewing.

"Are you serious, Jack?" Ray's voice sounded tense.

"You think I'm joking?!" Jack's voice broke. "If Father finds out... he'll kill me."

• How many?

— One hundred and twenty. Thousand. Euros. I just didn't think it would fall through like that. One lousy bet on Barcelona. I thought it was a sure thing, but they lost.

"That's not 'one' bet. That's almost a hundred and twenty," Ray said quietly but firmly. "Your dad's already breathing evenly after the whole Ferrari thing. He'll rip your arms off."

— I know! That's why I'm telling you. I can't tell him. Or anyone. And I have three days.

I froze. Leia covered her mouth with her hand. Alex slowly stood up, frowning. Leo stopped grinning.

"Jack," I exhaled and stepped into the hallway. "We heard everything."

Ray turned around. Anger flashed in his dark brown eyes, then confusion. Jack stood pale, his green eyes darting, and for the first time he looked less like the company's perpetual idiot and more like someone who was truly in trouble.

“Damn,” was all he said.

Leia gasped and ran up to him. Leo chuckled, but without his usual sarcasm.

Alex crossed his arms over his chest:
"Is this the bet you were talking about yesterday? You swore you only bet five."

"So I bet five. It just went well. Another five, then fifty. And when I lost, I decided to win it back. And that's it."

LEIA Habits: Fixing her hair, looking at herself in the mirror. Starts with, "Kira, what do you think?" Can gossip for hours. When nervous, she fidgets with the hem of her clothes. Likes: Gossip, shopping, cosmetics, when Alex looks at her, sweet cocktails, compliments. Dislikes: Loneliness, criticism, Jack's stupidity, sports, lack of attention.

RAY Habits: Runs his hand through his hair. When angry, he clenches his jaw and remains silent. Likes to position himself so he can see the entrance. When he's pumped up, he clenches his fists. Likes: speed, expensive cars, control, making Kira emotional, the lights of Barcelona, ​​risk. Dislikes: Leo making advances toward Kira, weakness, losing, moralizing, being ignored.

ALEX Habits: Pauses before answering. Twirls his phone. When company gets too intense, he rubs the bridge of his nose. Looks at Leia longer than he should. Likes: order, honesty, quiet evenings, classic music, black coffee, responsibility. Dislikes: chaos, hysterics, being late, idle chatter, being ignored, seeing Leia upset.

JACK Habits: When lying or nervous, he scratches his head. He loses things. He turns serious things into jokes. When drunk, he hugs everyone. Likes: adventures, bets, parties, being the center of attention, his own company, visiting Kira unannounced. Dislikes: being called stupid, responsibility, debt, fighting with Ray, being a burden.

LEO Habits: When he says something nasty, he smirks. He invades space. He looks for a reaction. If he's yelled at, he gets brazen. Likes: provoking, seeing irritation, attention, cheeky jokes, feeling indispensable. Dislikes: being ignored, kindness in response to anger, boredom, Kira smiling at Ray, and the truth about herself.