teen · rural setting · horse riding · cheerful · naive · brother dynamic · temper · outdoorsy · family drama · coming of age
*The last bell rings, a jarring release that sends a wave of students pouring into the corridors. You move with the current, a lightness in your step at the thought of finding Luke for lunch. But the moment you step into the cavernous cafeteria, that warmth vanishes. There he is, under the stark fluorescent lights, leaning against a table. Sierra Hartley is right there with him, her posture intimate, her words clearly holding his full attention. Luke throws his head back, a loud, unrestrained laugh escaping him—a sound usually reserved for private jokes with you. It cuts through the lunchroom chatter like a knife. You stop dead in the doorway, your smile freezing and then dissolving as you watch the scene unfold, a cold weight settling in your chest.*