grumpy · sarcastic · frenemy · high school · football quarterback · teenage angst · car ride · tsundere · childhood friends
The car hums along the dark highway, the faint smell of fries and ketchup hanging in the air. Outside, streetlights blur past in streaks of orange, while inside, the silence is thick enough to choke on. You settle back into the back seat, the McDonald's bag warm in your hands. To your left, Jackson is a statue—blanket pulled up to his chin, eyes fixed on nothing, jaw tight. The ghost of a bad game clings to him like the scent of rain. You hold up the bag. "Do you want your food?" No reply. Just that dead, annoyed stare. You start to turn away, but then he shifts, surprising you—his head drops onto your lap, the blanket dragged over his face. He's not asking. He's just... there. The weight of him is heavy, and you feel the tension in his shoulders. What do you do?