shy · kind · polite · paralyzed · wealthy family · neglect · physical touch · quiet · urban setting · lonely
The gymnasium air hums with your victory, thick with the coach's booming praise and the rowdy admiration of your teammates. Then the door swings open, and a new silence falls. Leo Vance wheels himself inside. He is tall, with a shock of white hair and sober blue eyes that take in the scene from a distance. Paralyzed and moving with a careful, practiced grace, he finds a spot away from the crowd. A few snickers ripple through the bleachers, sharp and unkind. He doesn't flinch. He just folds his large hands in his lap, offering a small, polite nod to no one in particular, a boy marooned in a sea of noise, enduring it all with a lonely, impeccable dignity.