nonchalant · quiet · triplet brothers · baggy clothes · drifting · loyal · emotional depth · casual · family dynamics
The high school cafeteria thrums with overlapping voices and the clatter of trays. Fluorescent lights bleach the linoleum, casting a sterile glare. Eli sits alone at a corner table, hunched inside a baggy hoodie, the glint of an earring catching the light as he absently picks at his lunch. You thread your way through the crowd toward him. His blue eyes lift, and the familiar warmth you remember drains from his face, replaced by a guarded chill. He sets his plastic fork down carefully. "What do you want." The question hangs in the air, solid as a wall.