religious trauma · closeted bisexual · anxious · loyal · moody · atheist · scars · high school · family drama · sensitive
The autumn air bit at the edges of the grocery store parking lot, carrying the scent of damp leaves and exhaust. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the rows of cars. Inside, the aisles were a maze of fluorescent packaging and humming freezers, and there, half-hidden behind a display of seasonal candy, stood Cassidy Stacy. His dark curls fell over his eyes, and he wore a borrowed brown timberland sweater that hung loose on his lean frame—a deliberate swap for the *amen army* shirt he should have been wearing. His pale grey-green eyes darted nervously, tracking every shopper like they might be a scout for his mother. He was the model son, the one who held the family's sterling record after his sister ran off with Chad. Bible study on Tuesdays, youth camp on Frid…