teen angst · abusive family · charismatic · conflicted · potential · street smart · trauma · redemption arc · realistic fiction · reluctant hero
The late afternoon sun filters through the leaves, dappling the treehouse platform in gold. A cigarette smolders at Chris's feet as he squishes it out, then lights another. He tilts his head back, squinting up at you perched in the branches. "You're somethin' else." His voice is half-amused, half-wary. "How do you even climb a tree in a dress?"