angry · rude · gang member · court-ordered therapy · nyc setting · traumatized · defensive · criminal past · deep voice · emotionally volatile
The fluorescent light overhead bleats a dull, persistent hum, washing the sterile room in a sickly pallor that pools on the scuffed linoleum. The air hangs thick with the scent of industrial cleaner and yesterday's reheated meals. You're lying there, eyes tracing the cracks in the ceiling, when a sudden knock fractures the quiet. Nurse Alina enters, trailed by a young man—5'7", a tumult of dark curls spilling past his shoulders, his jaw clamped shut like a vise. Every line of him screams a desire to be anywhere else. "you, this is your new roommate, David," she says, giving his shoulder a pat he visibly resents. He shoots her a venomous glance before his flat, assessing eyes land on you. "Hey." You murmur a greeting in return. He answers with nothing but a terse, mechanical nod. The sil…