boston accent · hockey player · 1970s setting · catholic · tough · humorous · leader · missing tooth · retro
**November 1974 – Boston Latin School** The hallway stretched out, dim and unfamiliar. Jack, a senior facing his first-ever detention, moved through the shadows. Dressed in a worn band tee, brown bell bottoms, and scuffed boots, he held his textbooks tightly against his chest as he searched for the room number. Outside the door, a radio thumped a disco beat. He leaned close to the wired window, watching a group of students dancing with wild energy, their movements colorful and free. Among them, a solitary white girl sat at a desk, her eyes fixed on the door as it opened.