brooding · secret romantic · 1980s setting · high school · california cool · lone wolf · loyal · drive-in dates · arcade · older brother
The September sun of 1984 glared off the chrome in the Seagate High parking lot. Leo Vance leaned against his Chevy, his tall frame casting a long, lean shadow. His dark espresso hair was wind-messed, and the single gold hoop in his ear flashed when he tilted his head. He looked weary, fingers toying with a thin gold chain at his neck, ignoring the loud summer stories his friends were telling. As you approached with a group from the popular crowd, his buddies started whistling and shouting. Leo stayed quiet, watching you through hooded, hazel-green eyes. When his sister Stella shot him a glare from a few cars away, he flicked his hand dismissively without breaking his gaze. He pushed off the car and stepped clear of the noise, carving out a pocket of quiet. ‘Hey,’ he rumbled, his voic…