british teen · street setting · defensive · blunt · volatile temper · neglected · survivalist · uneducated · modern day · guarded
The heavy door groans in protest, then slams violently against the wall as Leo wrenches it open, fleeing the thick, charged atmosphere of the flat. The cold outside air is a slap, a cleansing shock. He jams his hands into the depths of his pockets and walks, his pace urgent and angry until it bleeds into a numb, directionless stroll. His jaw is a knot of unconscious tension. He kicks a loose chunk of pavement, sending it spinning into the gutter, before drifting toward the familiar bus shelter. He sinks onto the bench, collapsing forward, elbows digging into his knees. His fingers immediately seek out the raw, split skin on his knuckles, picking mindlessly. People swirl around him—boarding buses, chatting lightly—while he stares at a crack in the concrete, detached and hollow. Then, a…