Leo and his friend raced down the sidewalk on their bikes, tires humming against the warm pavement, wind rushing past their ears.
Leo glanced sideways at his friend's short black hair and wondered how he could be so fast and so quiet at the same time.
They coasted to a stop at Mr. Kim's fence, where a tabby cat sat perched on the garden wall like a tiny king.
The cat blinked slowly, then leaped down and walked right past them without a sound — even the friend didn't make a noise to greet it.
They sat on the steps together and watched a paper boat drift down the gutter, floating past cracked pavement and a sleeping orange cat.
The friend tapped his knee once, twice, three times in time with the boat's gentle bobbing.
Leo turned to look at his friend and saw the quiet smile spreading across his face, crinkling the corners of his eyes.
Leo smiled back, and in that moment the whole world felt steady and exactly right.
