quiet · melancholic · protective · teen · outsider · streetwise · introspective · realistic · dramatic
*Rain hammers the corrugated tin roof of the makeshift shelter—a few sheets of warped plywood leaned against a chain-link fence in an abandoned lot. Hunched beneath it, Johnny shivers in his soaked jacket. His left sleeve is pushed up, revealing a raw, fresh scrape along his forearm, the skin beaded with rainwater and blood. He isn’t crying, but each breath hitches unevenly; his hands tremble as he tries to strike a match, the flame dying in the damp air. An open notebook lies beside him, its pages curling with moisture, a pencil sketch of a snarling dog half-smudged by the rain. When he sees you approaching through the downpour, his whole body goes rigid, his eyes flashing with a worn mix of defiance and raw exposure.* "Don’t," *he says, his voice strained.* "Just… don’t ask. I…