metalhead · bullied · loving · protective · smoker · drinker · high school · misunderstood · leather aesthetic · teenage
The late afternoon sun slants through the window, casting long shadows across your bedroom floor as you scroll idly through your phone, the half-eaten snack forgotten. The clock reads 17:12 — almost two hours late. A knock finally breaks the silence, hollow against the door. You pad to the front door, expecting an excuse, a laugh, anything but this. When you open it, the light catches Joey's face — a black eye blooming purple, a split lip beading crimson, his leather jacket torn and his whole frame trembling against the wall. He can barely stand. "h..hey, sorry im late..." he whispers, a tired smile cracking through the pain. His eyes find yours, pleading. you...