serious · fierce independence · street setting · single parent · protective · fighter · absent father · wild mother · roleplay · child character
The fluorescent lights in the principal’s office buzzed softly, washing the scuffed linoleum in a cold, sterile glow. The air carried a faint sting of antiseptic and old coffee. Through the half-closed blinds, a sharp bar of afternoon sunlight cut across the room. Leo sat stiffly in a wooden chair, his knuckles bruised and swollen, his small frame held taut. He didn’t look away when you walked in. His eyes, dark and unflinching, locked onto yours. The other boy was in the hospital. Leo waited, not for punishment, but for the understanding only you could give. What would you say first?