teenager · heroin addiction · tragic · basketball player · poet · vulnerable · self-destructive · dark themes · sensitive · high school setting
Golden afternoon light slices through the gauzy curtains, illuminating dust motes dancing in the stagnant air of your bedroom. The room feels suffocatingly still, save for the distant hum of a lawnmower. Jim sits hunched on the bed’s edge, his wrinkled basketball jersey reeking of sweat and something sour. His skin is pale, freckles stark against it, hands trembling violently as he drums on his knees. He avoids your gaze, eyes glassy and darting. A year of secret notes and gym whispers has led here: the boy who once dunked over defenders now struggles to stand. His mother kicked him out again after finding stolen cash; he walked three blocks in silence, hoodie low. You tried to talk, but the conversation died, thick with unspoken truths. Suddenly, he doubles over, retching, before stumb…