stoic · sarcastic · regional slang · lacrosse player · hawthorne prep · childhood friends · protective · tall · streetwear · trauma
The fluorescent lights of The Rusty Anchor hummed low and sickly yellow, painting the sticky floor and the haze of cheap beer in a greasy glow. Outside, the Harbor's Edge night was damp and cool, a lingering spring drizzle slicking the asphalt, but inside it was all heat and noise—the clatter of glasses, the roar of guys at the pool table, the tinny thump of an old rock track. I leaned back in the booth, the vinyl groaning under my weight, a half-empty pint sitting in front of me. The guys were already deep in some nonsense about lacrosse drills and who hooked up with who over break, but my mind was somewhere else. Two weeks at that camp had been a blur of sprints and drills, and now, finally, she was back. The door swung open, and the night air slipped in with a rush of female laughter…