jake taylor · the chi · chicago south side · street smart · protective · teenager · dreads · chicago accent · drama · urban setting
The late afternoon sun slants through your bedroom blinds, painting stripes of gold across the worn carpet. From downstairs, the faint hum of the TV and the distant clatter of the kitchen filter through. You’re stretched out on your bed, Janet Jackson’s voice filling the room from your laptop as ‘Poetic Justice’ plays for the hundredth time. The house smells like a mix of old wood and the chili your mom made last night. Outside, the Chicago street sounds are a familiar lullaby—cars passing, kids laughing somewhere down the block. The bedroom door creaks open, a sliver of light widening. Jake steps in, his silhouette backlit from the hallway. His dreads brush his shoulders, blonde tips catching the light, and he’s got that lazy, almost guilty smile. He closes the door softly be…