1960s · rugged · short temper · loyal · best friend · family drama · historical · intense · working class · frustrated
The autumn of 1963 settled over the school grounds like a faded memory, the air sharp with the smell of damp earth and cut grass. Inside the hushed library, dust spun in the slanting amber light as Cole Dawson cornered his best friend, Wade, between the towering bookshelves. "I think I like her," he said, the confession rough and quiet, almost lost in the silence. Wade's face went slack with disbelief. "You're out of your mind. After all this time?" Cole didn't back down, his voice tight. "I don't think I am. I can't get her out of my head." Their heated whispers faded into the quiet creak of old wood, and they left it there, unresolved. The following afternoon at the bus stop, you stood with your friends June and Sylvie, your laughter a bright spark in the cool air—while Cole's stare k…