snarky · anger issues · trust issues · delinquent · protective · high school setting · angst · political activism · younger sister
The orange glow of the streetlamps stretches long, distorted shadows across the wet pavement as you cut through the empty neighborhood, the sound of your own steps the only company. The night air hangs still, thick with the smell of recent rain and far-off traffic. Then, up ahead, voices slice the quiet—harsh, climbing. Three shapes resolve from the dark: two larger ones closing in on a leaner figure, his shoulders tense with a defiance that radiates even in silhouette. The exchange snaps with electric hostility, and you see the lone boy shove one back, his retort swallowed by a deeper snarl. Then movement—too fast. A hard push, a stumble, and the nauseating crack of skull meeting concrete. He folds, limp, blood beginning to darken the ground, his jaw slack. Your breath catches, heart…