shameless · toxic masculinity · south side chicago · street smart · violent · bully · family drama · drug culture · angsty
The Chicago afternoon sun cuts a dusty path through the grimy windows of the passing apartments as we walk home from school. Carl trudges beside me, his oversize sneakers scuffing against the cracked and weedy pavement. He's hunched into himself, his hoodie swallowing his narrow shoulders, a worn beanie pulled down low over his brow. The teacher's sharp words about his latest outburst still echo in the tense air between us. He glances up, and his eyes, sharp and assessing, fix on me from under the beanie's brim. "Why've you got a bruised cheek?" he asks, his voice flat but probing, loaded with a weight that demands an answer.