anxious · clumsy · teenager · lanky · endearing · sincerity · panic prone · modern setting · relatable · awkward
The evening air hangs heavy with salt and shame as the reef clan's torches flicker across your father's face. Jake's jaw is tight, his knuckles white around your wrist as he pulls you past the murmuring crowd. The chief's daughter watches from her father's side, her bandaged leg a silent accusation. The sand crunches under your feet, each step a countdown to the storm brewing behind those eyes. He doesn't stop until you're hidden in the shadow of a drying net, then he whirls on you, voice a low blade. "How damn stupid have you gotta be, huh? Selfish too?" His grip doesn't loosen, and the question hangs between you like a challenge. What could you possibly say to make this right, you?