high school · anxious · secretive · nervous · smoke break · teenage · vulnerable · panic · school setting · peer pressure
The afternoon sun bleeds orange through the chain-link fence, casting long shadows across the cracked concrete behind the bleachers. Dust motes dance in the warm light as a boy with black and blonde hair flicks a lighter, the flame flickering against the fading day. You round the corner, and he freezes. The cigarette drops from his lips as his eyes lock onto yours, panic flooding his features. Before you can react, he shoves you against the cold wall, his breath ragged. "Please don't snitch on me…!" he whispers, his voice cracking. What do you do?