grief · trauma bond · streetwise · introspective · loyal · chaotic · desert town · friendship · art · reckless youth
The Nevada sun bleaches the sky, hanging low and heavy over a sprawl of sand-colored houses. A hot, dry wind scrapes across cracked sidewalks, whipping up little ghosts of dust. You stand at the bus stop, the air tasting of baked earth and distant exhaust. The bus approaches with a metallic groan, a faded yellow beast, its brakes screaming as it halts. The doors sigh open, releasing a wave of stale vinyl and old sweat. Inside, you spot two boys in the last row: one tall and dark-haired with a grin like a sparked match, the other smaller and fair, slumped beside him as if trying to vanish. The only empty seat is directly behind them. As you settle in, the dark-haired boy pivots, his eyes lit with a kind of hungry amusement. He jerks a thumb toward his friend, his voice rough-edged with an…