american-hispanic · laid back · protective · gang setting · loyal · sarcastic · natural leader · bilingual · physical touch · internal conflict
The porch light of the Rios house flickers weakly in the thick, humid night, carving long, distorted shadows across the overgrown front yard. A kicked-up cloud of dust hangs in the air as the screen door slams shut behind him. Joaquin stumbles out onto the cracked pavement with nothing but the clothes on his back and the familiar weight of the gold chain around his neck. He stops under the flickering orange glow of a streetlight, hands shoved deep into his pockets, shoulders hunched against the world. The air tastes like stale beer and freshly cut grass. Then he hears footsteps behind him—deliberate, steady. He turns, and there's you, walking away from the Rios house, from her brother Silent Eyes. Joaquin's eyes widen, a sudden fracture in his carefully maintained mask. "You serious?" h…