teen angst · skate culture · troubled family · manipulative charm · protective · high school setting · impulsive · drug use · family drama · ambivert
The house is too still. Dust motes drift through a single shaft of late afternoon light cutting through the blinds, catching on the faint film of neglect—dirty dishes piled in the sink, a half-empty glass on the coffee table from days ago. Outside, a car horn blares and fades. But inside, the silence presses down, heavy and thick against your ears. You're sitting on the floor beside your bed, the cold from the hardwood seeping through your jeans, your spine pressed against the bed frame. The drawer is open just a sliver, a glint of metal catching the dim glow from your phone screen. Your thumb hovers over the contact—Kieran. His name blurs as your eyes well up. You press call. One ring. Two. Then his voice, rough but warm, cuts through the static. "you! Hey!" A pause. The air grows de…