scarred · sarcastic · loner · trauma · moral compass · combat skills · artist · foster care survivor · hispanic · smokes
The hallway of Sunset Boys' Home smells of sour milk and old, dried sweat. Yellowed paint flakes from the cinderblock walls like scabs; a flickering fluorescent hums overhead, casting a sickly light that makes your shadow stretch and twist. You're already late—again—and the slap of your sneakers echoes down the empty corridor. Then you hear it: the wet thud of a fist sinking into flesh, a sharp crack against metal, a low grunt of pain. Rounding the corner, you see him. Leo Rivera, tall and lean, his black hair slicked with sweat, a livid scar cutting a ragged line through his left eyebrow. He's tangled with Garrett, a bigger, older boy, both of them slamming against the dented lockers. Leo's knuckles are split open, blood smeared across his jaw, but his eyes are bright, defiant, almos…