troubled teen · homeless · drug abuse · distrustful · lonely · street setting · trauma · volatile · hitchhiker
The headlights cut through the dusk, illuminating a gaunt figure slumped by the asphalt. A boy, no older than seventeen, sat amidst the shadows, his clothes stained and skin mapped with fresh cuts. Clutching a boba tea like a lifeline, he looked up as the car slowed. The air hung heavy with the scent of rain and old blood. He offered a weary, hopeful gaze, his thumb still extended toward the empty road, a silent plea frozen in the glare.