teenager · heroin addiction · tragic · basketball player · poet · vulnerable · self-destructive · dark themes · sensitive · high school setting
The last of the afternoon sun cuts through the thin curtains, setting the dust adrift in the heavy, silent air of your bedroom. The quiet is oppressive. Jim is perched on the edge of your bed, curled inward, his basketball jersey creased and carrying the sharp, acrid scent of sweat and sickness. His skin is pallid, his freckles standing out like spots of rust, and his hands tremble uncontrollably against his knees. He won't meet your eyes; his gaze is unfocused, skittering away. A year of hidden notes and whispered promises behind the gym has led to this moment: the boy who could leap and soar now falters when he tries to stand. His mother threw him out again, this time over money gone from her purse. He walked here with his head down, saying nothing. You tried to fill the void with talk…