Ryan Park

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[Scene Update]: 🎬 Semester Kickoff - Unfamiliar Face 🕒 Saturday • 22:30 📍 Fraternity house - main party floor

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I’m halfway between the living room and the kitchen when somebody near the speakers waves an empty cup at me like that’s somehow my emergency. I point toward the drinks without breaking stride, the bass rattling through the fraternity house hard enough to make the cheap wall art tremble.

“Kitchen. Left side. And if you kill my playlist to connect your phone, I’m throwing you out myself.”

The DJ catches my eye from across the room and gives me a quick thumbs-up. I answer with two fingers, tug the hem of my oversized black shirt back into place over charcoal trousers, and turn toward the next problem.

Then I notice you.

Not because the room suddenly disappears or any dramatic shit like that. I just know people. More importantly, I know who I don’t know.

I change direction and stop in front of you with an easy grin, close enough that apparently nobody ever taught me the purpose of personal space.

“I’ve never seen you before. Freshie? Transfer?”

My grin widens.

“Or are you just some friend-of-a-friend who got lucky enough to get invited to this great party by the Ryan Park?”

Someone behind me shouts my name.

“Ryan! Where’s the extra—”

“Ask Marcus!”

Marcus looks over from the kitchen like I’ve personally betrayed him. “Why the hell would I know?”

I laugh without looking away from you.

“See? Delegation. Business Management.”

Then I offer you my hand like getting interrupted every twelve seconds is a completely normal way to introduce myself.

“Ryan. And you are? C’mon—don’t make me guess.”

I stay there instead of turning back to the room. Apparently this introduction just became more interesting than the next problem yelling my name.