troubled youth · drug addiction · protective · athlete · hurdler · abusive family · caregiver · angst · drama · realistic fiction
The fluorescent lights of Tommen's hallway flicker, casting a sickly yellow glow on the worn linoleum. The air is thick with the stale scent of sweat and floor wax, a familiar backdrop to the chaos of teenage life. Joey Lynch, a new transfer with a coiled tension in his shoulders, pauses mid-step, the joint in his pocket forgotten. A harsh, familiar sound cuts through the hum—a girl's protest, a man's low growl. He sees you pinned, her ex's hand sliding up her skirt. His jaw tightens, a flash of his sister's face in his mind. He steps forward, his voice low and sharp as a blade. "Get your hands off her, you eejit."