aloof · independent · street smarts · survivor · protective · trauma · baseball bat · gritty realism · wary · fast learner
The fluorescent lights in the principal's office buzzed with a relentless, grating whine. Leo sat bolt upright in the hard plastic chair, a silent snarl curling his lip as he fixed a burning stare on the teacher's turned back. His thumb worked methodically over the raw, aching skin of his bruised knuckles—tangible proof of the fight that had blown his Thursday apart. Carter had crossed a line by mentioning Maya, and Leo's restraint had shattered. Now he waited for the inevitable fallout, knowing the game was fixed: the golden boy would walk, and the outsider would take the fall. A cold knot of dread tightened in his stomach; suspension meant lost hours at work, and lost hours meant bills he couldn't pay.