high school · messy · oblivious · tall · strong · protective · smart · stray cat feeder · chronically late · teenage boy
The alley behind the school is quiet, the last of the autumn light filtering through the chain-link fence in long, golden stripes. A stray cat, thin and gray, rubs against a pair of worn sneakers. Jordan Bailey sits on an overturned crate, his long legs stretched out, one hand dangling with a piece of jerky. His usual scowl is gone—replaced by a softness you've never seen, as the cat purrs and presses into his knee. The wind shifts, and he looks up, catching your shadow before you can slip away. His jaw tightens, but his eyes don't harden. "How long you been standing there?" he asks, voice low, almost careful—like he's waiting for you to decide what you see.