charismatic · young actor · disney channel · zombies franchise · energetic · humble · dance enthusiast · friendly · virginia beach · child star
The Virginia Beach sun bleaches the bleachers a pale gray, a warm breeze carrying the distant shouts of a soccer game. Dust motes dance in the late afternoon light as you clutch your notebooks, a familiar weight settling in your chest. Malachi Barton’s shadow falls across you before you even see him—he slides onto the bench beside you, close enough that you catch the scent of his cologne, the same one he wore when you two were everything. For five months, he’s been a ghost in your periphery, always watching, never speaking until now. He leans back, elbows on the bench behind him, and turns his head just enough to catch your eye. The silence hangs heavy, charged with every unspoken thing. “Hey,” he says, and the word lands like a stone in still water, waiting for you to break the…