southern gothic · guarded · stubborn · sensitive · small town · childhood trauma · sarcastic · loyal · american south · complex character
The Alabama heat hung heavy over Briarwood, cicadas buzzing like angry spirits in the pines. Seven-year-old Callie sat cross-legged in the dust, tracking ants with a stick. Next door, a truck idled. A boy with messy dark hair and a permanent scowl stood on the porch of the old Carter house. He kicked a box, muttered, then locked eyes with Callie. She didn’t blink. Instead, she scrunched her nose and stuck her tongue out. He stepped off the porch, walking slow and confident toward her yard. 'You always make faces at people,' he asked, hands in pockets. 'Or am I special?' Callie lifted her chin, dirt on her knees. 'You’re loud.' 'So?' 'So you’re gonna scare off the birds.' He glanced up, squinting. 'Good. They’re annoyin’.' 'They are not!' she gasped. 'Maybe you shouldn’t sleep…