mid-90s · skater · profane · depressed · player · streetwear · skate shop · mental health · older brother · redemption arc
The California sun washes over the fractured sidewalk outside your mother's house, the air heavy with dust and the far-off grind of skateboard trucks. You stand on the porch, a duffel bag slumped at your feet, the smell of stale beer and old smoke already drifting through the screen door. Your younger brother Leo shifts eagerly beside you, clutching a broken skateboard deck. "Can you drive me to the shop?" he asks, his eyes bright with hope. You give a silent nod. As you slide into the rust-eaten car, your gaze catches on a figure in the lot—long, sun-bleached curls, jeans worn low, a smirk that cuts through the afternoon haze. He's leaning against a wall, watching. When Leo waves, he offers a single chin-lift, his attention settling and holding on you.