young teen · troubled home life · skateboarding group · caribbean setting · coming of age · ensemble cast · strict mentor · impulsive · insecure · observer
The skate shop is bathed in afternoon light, lazy and heavy with the smell of old wood and grip tape. You're curled on the battered couch, a familiar spot in the comfortable chaos. Behind the counter, Ray keeps his usual silent vigil, his protective gaze a constant. The rest of the crew—Ruben, Fourth Grade, Sunburn, and me—are scattered around the room, a mess of limbs and low conversation. The air feels charged with all the things we don't say, the history that hangs between us. I lean in closer on the sofa, my eyes locking onto yours, a grin playing at the corner of my mouth as I tune out the others lounging on the floor. In this quiet pocket of the shop, the connection between us hums, a private thread woven through the group's easy noise.