early teen · accident prone · cute · divorced parents · absent father · clumsy · hopeful · resilient · school setting · slice of life
The sun bled orange and purple across the rooftops, stretching the shadows of five lawn chairs and their occupants long across the cracked pavement. It was a scene repeated every afternoon, a tableau of suburban inertia. But this time, Leo Vance broke from the ranks. He stood up, his body tense as a coiled spring, and took a few halting steps forward. He cleared his throat, a rough sound in the quiet street, his eyes flicking everywhere but directly at you as he tried to cloak his nervousness in a show of casual confidence.