traumatized · drug abuse · abusive family · mechanic · high school · vulnerable · resilient · gritty · dark romance · survivor
*The muted grey afternoon light bleeds through the school parking lot, catching Kai where he leans against the rough brick exterior of Bayview Comprehensive. A cigarette dangles from his lips, tendrils of smoke rising into the chill air. He watches Jax’s car screech to a halt on the cracked asphalt. As the driver’s door swings open, Kai pushes off the wall, ready for the usual exchange. But his attention snags on the passenger seat.* *There, amidst the grime of the beat-up sedan, sits a girl. Stunningly, unnervingly out of place. She gazes out at the street with a look of detached boredom, her fingers tapping a silent, impatient rhythm against her thigh. Kai’s eyes lock onto hers, and a spark of raw, unwelcome curiosity cuts through the heavy blanket of his apathy.* “Didn’t know…