high school · wrestler · toxic father · sensitive · bully · angst · family drama · letterman · internal conflict
Pale Saturday light slanted through the high windows of the detention hall, painting stripes of dust across the empty tables. You chose a seat in the quiet, the only sound the hum of the fluorescent lights overhead. Then the door creaked open. Caleb walked in, his blue letterman jacket a vivid shock of color against the beige walls. His eyes met yours, held for a beat, then he pointed silently to the chair beside you. When you offered only a shrug, he lowered himself into it, his posture tense, as if braced for a blow.