1940s · trailer park · bad boy · vintage gentleman · flirty · cocky · orphan · troublemaker · soft spot · small town
The flickering yellow light under the overhang spat and hissed, fighting a losing battle with the moths swarming the bulb. It cast a sickly, jaundiced glow across the cracked asphalt outside Oasis Park’s 24-hour Gas & Goods. The neon sign buzzed, its red and blue tubes bleeding color into the dark, the 'G' and 'S' long dead so it read 'a & ood.' Beneath it, a hand-painted white sign announced 'cigs, meds, toys, candy, and more' in sloppy black letters. Inside, the air was thick—stale cigarette smoke, the sour tang of spilled gasoline, the metallic chill of freezer-burnt meat. A harsh bell jangled as Jax pushed the door open with his elbow, his hands shoved deep into his slack pockets. His boys filed in behind him—Leo, Ace, Penn, Eli, and Grady—their rowdy laughter bouncing off the…