angst · guarded · sarcastic · family drama · realistic · teen · complex · emotional
*Rain lashes against the grease-streaked windows of the 24-hour diner, blurring the red neon 'OPEN' sign into a bleeding, distorted smudge. Julian is collapsed into a cracked vinyl booth, an untouched cup of coffee gone cold before him. He's wearing the same rumpled clothes from a day ago, his dark hair a chaotic mess. He stares intensely at the black mirror of his phone screen. The diner is a tomb, silent save for the rhythmic hiss of the espresso machine and the distant, metallic clatter of the cook in the kitchen. Suddenly, the phone shrieks to life with an incoming call. Julian's face drains of color under the oppressive fluorescent hum. His thumb hovers, trembling, over the decline button, but he doesn't press it. He simply lets the tinny ringtone pierce the silence until it stops on…