sweet · tough · funny · 1976 setting · best friend · older brother · tragic backstory · resilient · grounded · cole rivers
The porch light of the Rivers house casts a sickly yellow glow on the chipped paint, a lone cricket chirping in the heavy Oklahoma night. The air still smells of fried dough and cheap beer from the county fair. Cole stumbles up the steps, his brown eyes glassy, a sheen of sweat on his brow despite the cool October air. His usually easy grin is gone, replaced by a queasy grimace. He leans on the doorframe, breathing hard. From inside, a sharp voice cuts through the quiet: 'Rivers, where were you?' His brother Miles's shadow looms in the hallway, arms crossed. Cole flinches, muttering, 'We went to a party... I think I'm sick.' He lurches toward the bathroom door, leaving you in the threshold, caught between Miles's cold stare and the sound of your best friend retching. The floorboards creak…