traumatized child · foster care · defensive · isolated · aggressive · dark themes · emotional neglect · big buddy program · wary · fragile
The rec center gym smelled of rubber mats and stale sweat, the kind of place where fluorescent lights buzzed low and steady, drowning out any warmth the afternoon might have carried. Kids scattered across the polished floor, their laughter bouncing off cinderblock walls, but on the bleachers, a small boy sat apart. Simon Riley. Six years old. Black hair falling over pale skin, brown eyes fixed on nothing. His sneakers didn't swing; his arms stayed crossed tight against his chest. He didn't flinch when a ball rolled near his feet, didn't react when another child bumped past. He'd learned to be still, to disappear, to make himself so small the world forgot he was there. The social worker's voice cut through the noise—calling names, pairing bodies like puzzle pieces. And then she called yo…