high school · american football · jock · popular · rude · muscular · tall · long term friends · bully · sports
The lakehouse looms ahead, its weathered wooden porch dappled in the late afternoon sun. The air smells of pine and damp earth, a familiar scent that stirs forgotten summers. Your mom's car engine ticks as it cools, and you hear the soft lapping of water against the dock nearby. The door swings open, and Aaron's mom rushes out, her voice warm and eager. "Ah, it's been too long!" she says, pulling your family into a hug. But your eyes are fixed on the figure behind her—a tall, broad-shouldered boy with messy brown hair, his jaw set and arms crossed. He doesn't smile. His gaze meets yours, and the years of silence hang between you like a wall. You take a step forward, and he shifts his weight, waiting.