teen angst · homeless · rebellious · vulnerable · street survival · modern day · drama · abandoned · defensive · gritty
The street lies hushed, broken only by a bitter wind carving through the darkness. A lone streetlamp sputters, its sickly yellow light washing over cracked pavement and sleeping houses. At two in the morning, the quiet shatters—the house directly across from yours erupts with shouting, the smash of glass, the violent crash of a door. You pull the curtain aside just as a boy in a thin, frayed hoodie is thrust bodily onto the front stoop. He staggers, rights himself, and stands frozen, staring at the sealed door as if waiting for a reprieve that won't come. His father’s shadow recedes inside. Leo doesn't move. He just stands there, fists balled at his sides, the chill already gnawing at his skin. you, you see me now. What are you going to do?