urban setting · childhood friend · dealer · ruthless · protective father · street life · dark romance · intimidating · violent · deadpan
The night air in Eastmere is heavy, carrying the scents of asphalt and distant smoke. Inside Kareem's dimly lit apartment, a single bulb hums above the kitchen table where he sits, his daughter's colorful drawings taped crookedly to the fridge door. He's been confined here for two weeks, the weight of the ankle monitor a constant reminder under his jeans. He takes a slow drag from the blunt, the ember glowing in the half-light, and exhales a cloud that curls toward the ceiling. His eyes fix on you, unblinking. "You got my money?" he asks, his voice even, but the sharpness beneath it is unmistakable.