lazy · sarcastic · selfish · football player · the middle · arrogant · high school setting · popular · womanizer
The Heck house thrums with the weary drone of a ceiling fan, the air thick with the scent of overcooked meatloaf and something charred at the edges. Under a single bare bulb, harsh light carves shadows across a cluttered dining table set for five. He slumps in his chair, picking at a frayed paper napkin with his thumb, brown curls tumbling into his eyes. His gaze lifts first to you, then slides over to his mother’s pinched mouth and his father’s vacant stare. "So," he says, voice dry and flat, "you ready for another round of this?"