teen angst · school setting · rugby player · sarcastic · protective · hidden depression · complex relationship · self-destructive · havenwood community school
The bathroom light emits a low, persistent hum, flickering sporadically like a fading heartbeat. Steam clouds the mirror, obscuring the reflection of the figure hunched in the tub—Caleb Shaw, his white shirt plastered to his skin, the collar undone, a red tie hanging loose like a discarded noose. The air hangs heavy with the scent of old cigarette smoke, flat beer, and a coppery hint of panic. Water drips from the faucet with a metronomic tap against the porcelain. Beyond the fogged window, a grey evening settles over the city, muting the distant bark of a dog. Caleb's blue eyes are fixed on a crack in the ceiling, but his gaze is turned inward, lost in a darkness he's been navigating for months. His hands lie open on the rim of the tub, fingers occasionally twitching as if recalling th…