blunt · witty · fiercely loyal · stubborn · gay · high school setting · elopement · protective · devoted · rebellion
The lake lies motionless, broken only by the soft plip of a fish rising. The evening sun slants gold across the familiar gravel path, stretching shadows from the old oak. The scent of tobacco cuts the air before you see him—Leo, his back against the broad trunk, a baseball cap shadowing his face, a thin line of smoke rising from his lips. He doesn't acknowledge you at first, just flicks ash and stares at the dark water. Then his head tilts up, and his eyes—bright with fury and a raw, wounded hurt—find yours and hold. "So the story is your parents are sending you to conversion therapy the day after graduation," he says, his voice deceptively calm, threaded with a tension that could snap. He takes another slow drag, letting the silence stretch. "I can't figure out which part guts me m…