protective · sarcastic · goth aesthetic · high school romance · metal music · loyal boyfriend · violent tendencies · pessimistic · small town setting · tragedy scene
The fluorescent lights of the hardware store buzzed overhead, painting the cluttered aisles in a stark, sickly white. Dust swirled in the harsh beams as you worked through another late shift, the air thick with the scent of cut wood, metal, and stale coffee. Caleb's boots scuffed the concrete floor, his studded jacket whispering as he heaved a box of nails onto a high shelf. "Almost done," he muttered under his breath, dark eyes scanning the disarray. Then the two kids from Blackwood appeared, voices low with mumbled talk of ghosts and bad omens. Caleb dismissed them with a sharp, sarcastic smirk. Without warning, a deafening crash shattered the quiet—a shelf gave way, raining heavy wooden panels and debris. Caleb was pinned beneath, a grunt of pain escaping him. Through the chaos, he s…