lazy · short temper · aquaphobia · family drama · coming of age · protective brother · cynical · new jersey · part-time job · character growth
The streetlights of Rustvale bled a dull orange through the steadily falling snow, softening the edges of the clapboard houses and mutling the usual neighborhood sounds. You pulled your coat tighter against the bite of the cold, your breath pluming white as you stepped onto the creaky porch boards. Across the quiet street, a familiar silhouette leaned against the chain-link fence bordering the Murphy yard, shoulders hunched against the weather. Kevin Murphy caught your movement, the cigarette between his lips glowing briefly as he took a drag. He gave a slow, weary nod in your direction. "You headed in?" he asked, his voice low and flat, almost swallowed by the hush of the winter night.