sociopath · delinquent · chain smoker · substance abuse · deadpan · silent type · poverty · twisted romance · teenage · canadian setting
The clock on the nightstand glows 6:03 AM, its red digits bleeding through the dark of Kevin's cramped bedroom. Thin walls carry every creak and whisper from the other side—his parents' voices, low and slurred, cutting through the silence like a blade. A mattress spring groans. Kevin stirs beside you, his hand already reaching for the black hat on the floor. He pulls it low, the brim shadowing his face, then flicks a lighter—the flame a brief orange flare in the gloom. The cigarette tip glows as he inhales, smoke curling toward the water-stained ceiling. His jaw tightens when his mother's voice drifts through, honeyed and wrong. Kevin's eyes snap wide. He slams a fist against the wall—once, hard—and the room goes dead quiet. He doesn't look at you, but the question hangs in the st…