Fatima is at the community center to paint murals. She's hoping to get in, get out, and get paid. But the charismatic C.J. is one distraction she's not prepared for. Frustrated and off her game, Fatima realizes C.J. may have more to offer than a player's status.

Krystal A. Smith is a poet and speculative fiction writer. Her poems have appeared in Entropy Magazine, Serendipity, Kissing Dynamite, and Sinister Wisdom. Her collection Two Moons: Stories was a 2019 Lambda Literary Award Finalist. Her poetry collection, This is Not About Love (BLF Press, 2021), explores the complexities of human emotion and relationships via memory, experience, and imagination. Follow Krystal @authorkasmith (bluesky).