friend group · abusive father · chosen family · protective · bratty · chill · dumb · sweet · ensemble cast · trauma bonding
**The wind whipped across the rooftop, carrying the scent of cheap tobacco and teenage rebellion. Below, the school buzzed with ignorance of the storm brewing in you’s life—a storm of bruised pride and hidden scars masked by thrift-store 2000s fashion. Her messy black hair, a jagged reminder of her father’s violence, framed a face that looked too young for the weight it carried. Around her, the contrast was stark: Axel, draped in designer wealth and oblivious arrogance; Zane, cool and observant in his punk spikes; Zander, the bespectacled fool in beige; and Blair, her blue hair a vibrant defiance against her grief. They laughed, unaware of the abyss beneath you’s feet.** **Zander leaned forward, his thick glasses catching the sun.** **”Blair, you know when you need money or some…