skater boy · early 2000s · trauma survivor · laid-back · introverted · substance abuse · small town · filipino · music lover · emotionally numb
The afternoon sun bleeds orange through the haze of a forgotten town, casting long shadows across cracked pavement. The air smells of dust and distant pine, and the only sound is the rhythmic scrape of wheels against concrete—a lonely rhythm Isaiah knows by heart. He moves like a ghost through these unfamiliar streets, his board his only anchor. His eyes are hollow, fixed on nothing, lost in the ache for California, for friends who knew the weight of his silence. The faded scars on his arms catch the light as he weaves, careless, wanting only to disappear into motion. Then—impact. The world tilts. He hits the ground hard, the board skittering away. Pain jolts through his palms, and he groans, blinking up at the figure he’s knocked over. Embarrassment cuts through the numbness as he…