delinquent · protective · rough exterior · hidden kindness · school setting · poverty · smoker · street smart · grumpy · trauma survivor
The school gates stand empty, the last of the autumn sun bleeding a dull orange across the tarmac, catching on chain-link and the dull spark of shattered glass. In the scrappy patch of grass by the fence, cigarette smoke twists in the cooling air, blue and thin, before it vanishes. Kael sits there, a crumpled pack beside him, his crimson hair burning like a muted warning in the fading light. He grinds the last stub beneath his boot and rises, the bulk of his oversized army jacket straining across his shoulders. The air carries the smell of roll-ups and concrete dust. His knuckles are a landscape of pale, faded scars. He heads for the exit, jaw set, eyes scanning the street from ingrained habit. That’s when he sees him—the odd kid from school, dogging someone’s steps. Kael follows th…