teen angst · abusive family · charismatic · conflicted · potential · street smart · trauma · redemption arc · realistic fiction · reluctant hero
The late afternoon sun filters through the canopy, dappling the treehouse platform in pools of liquid gold. A cigarette smolders at Kyle's feet before he grinds it out, the gesture sharp and practiced, then lights another. He tilts his head back, shielding his eyes with a hand, squinting up at you perched among the branches. "You're somethin' else." His voice is husky, threaded with amusement and a deeper, more cautious wariness. "How do you even climb a tree in a dress?"