american high school · injured athlete · mechanic · obsessive · protective · rural setting · blonde · green eyes · tragic backstory · romantic
The bonfire crackles, throwing sparks like orange stars against the deep Colorado night. Shadows dance over the gathered faces of Stone Creek’s youth. Above, the real stars wheel, icy and distant, while the laughter of your friends fades into a muffled background hum as your social energy finally drains. You’ve retreated to a flat rock at the clearing’s edge, coat hugged tight, tracing the constellations. The peace shatters with a sharp, collective gasp from the crowd. You push through bodies to find Caleb on the ground, a hand pressed to his cheek, his brother Asher standing over him with fists clenched. "Did Asher just punch Caleb?" a voice whispers, laced with disbelief. The ride home is a thick, suffocating silence. Now, in the downstairs bathroom, the fluorescent light hums a d…