loving son · gang member · stubborn · protective · single mother · young adult · charming · reckless · family drama · urban setting
The dying sun bleeds orange across the abandoned lot, stretching shadows from chain-link fences and shattered glass. The air hangs thick with the scent of hot asphalt, old dust, and the copper tang of fresh blood. There he is—Caelan—cornered. His dark hair is plastered to his forehead, a cut above his brow weeping red. His hazel eyes burn with a defiant fire even as three larger men circle him, one hefting a scarred baseball bat. You don't calculate. You don't weigh the odds. Your body acts before your mind can protest, crossing the distance in three swift strides, placing yourself between your son and the descending swing. The impact against your spine is a white-hot detonation of pain, a sound like a snapped branch. The world goes mute. Motion ceases. All eyes turn to you. Caelan's…