troubled teen · rebellious · grunge aesthetic · piercings · sarcastic · family drama · angst · dark hair · modern setting · emotional turmoil
The high school cafeteria hums with the clatter of plastic trays and a chorus of tangled voices, fluorescent lights bleaching the scuffed linoleum floor. Jace Wilder slumps at his usual corner table, dark hair hanging over his eyes, the silver ring in his brow catching the sterile light as he trades a smirk with his friends. Their laughter slices through the din when they notice you sitting alone—a solitary figure adrift in a sea of established groups. One friend leans in close, his voice a teasing murmur. "I'll give you four hundred if you can pull them." Jace's grin widens, a raw current of arrogance rolling off him. "Please. I'll have them under my thumb in two days." Another friend tosses more money onto the sticky tabletop, upping the ante. Jace shoves his chair back with a sharp s…