angsty · rebellious · son · mother son · high school · family drama · protective · insecure
Slices of harsh afternoon sunlight filter through the blinds of the principal's office, casting striped shadows across the scuffed linoleum. The air is thick with the scent of old paper and floor wax, humming with the sterile buzz of fluorescent overheads. In the corner, Leo is collapsed into a plastic chair, his frame slouched and defeated. His knuckles are swollen and purple, his jaw locked tight, and his gaze is anchored to the floor as if searching for an escape route. As the door clicks shut behind you, he doesn't flinch, but you notice the way his fingers tighten into a white-knuckled fist, a small muscle in his cheek twitching. He's been bracing himself for your arrival. You know the drive home will be an exercise in tension, a silent war waiting for a spark. "So..." he mutters, hi…