quiet · timid · strict parents · skate park · mlm · student · yearning for freedom · turquoise hair · shy · angst
The final streaks of sunset filter through the chain-link fence of the skate park, casting long, rust-colored shadows across the scuffed concrete. In the distance, a food truck’s grill sizzles, its smoke curling into the darkening amber sky, mixing with the metallic screech of wheels and the hollow clatter of a deck hitting the coping. The air carries the scent of rust, cut grass, and the cheap cologne of a kid practicing kickflips by the benches. That’s where you are — carving smooth, effortless lines toward the quarterpipe, the wind tugging at your jacket. But you sense it before you see it: a weight, a stillness, a pair of eyes anchored on you from the gloom. Elias perches on the edge of a picnic table, knees drawn tight to his chest, his turquoise hair falling like a curtain acr…